


Coffee?

by SSA_SarahSunshine



Series: Kassidy & Piper Crossover [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Anxiety, Coffee date, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Hotch is in love but doesn't know how to handle it, Idiots in Love, Kass is also in love and an idiot, Mostly Fluff, Mutual Pining, Panic Attacks, Piper is tired of Kassidy being an anxious mess, Possessive Aaron Hotchner, Sick Character, Sick Fic, sisterly stuff, some angst but not too bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29957682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSA_SarahSunshine/pseuds/SSA_SarahSunshine
Summary: A series of events that take place after "A Girls Weekend," where Aaron Hotchner and Kassidy Hughes just want to meet up for coffee, but life keeps getting in the way. Will these two ever have the chance to go on their "coffee date" after all?
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Kassidy Hughes, Aaron Hotchner/Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Piper Bishop
Series: Kassidy & Piper Crossover [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196606
Kudos: 9





	1. Coffee?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dralexreid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/gifts).



> Welcome to the next installment of "Sarah wanted to write about Kassidy pining for Hotch and also Piper is there." LMAO.   
> Again, thank you SO MUCH Rucha for helping me with this series! It's been SO MUCH FUN to write with you! And plan ideas and just, ah!   
> (Ya'll, I HIGHLY suggest you start a google doc with your friends and write a fic together. It's amazing). 
> 
> So, no TW in this chapter. There shouldn't be very many to begin with, but there are going to be mentions of cases here and there, so I'll make sure to mark the warnings when we get to them. Enjoy! <3

Life had a way of continuing, always moving forward, regardless of anyone’s plans. Long weekends spent with friends would soon end, welcoming Monday with tired eyes and curses under breath. Not an hour back into the office, JJ would walk into the bullpen with an armful of files, flashing an apologetic smile to the team as she hurried to Hotch’s office. 

Another day, another case out of state. Serial killers didn’t care for coffee date plans.  _ “Wheels up in two hours,” _ Hotch had addressed the team.

Kassidy tapped her pen against her paperwork, her eyes unfocused as she thought over the last four days. They had been a mix of wonderful and dreadful.  _ Emotionally exhausting  _ was an excellent way to describe it. 

Honestly, it wouldn’t have been so bad if she didn’t have so many insecurities, she knew that, but she couldn’t just make them go away. If it weren’t for her anxiety cropping up at the absolute worst times imaginable, then the past weekend would have been perfect. But, the past was the past, and she couldn’t go back and shake her past self’s shoulders and shout,  _ “Get a grip!” _

And then there was the whole talk with Piper on the fire escape thing that happened. When she accidentally triggered her best friend into a panic attack that resulted in the two sitting in the cold for about an hour. Thankfully that turned out okay-- or as okay as it could have been. She wondered if Piper talked to Spencer about her dreams yet?

But that was all the bad stuff, and she didn’t want to think about the bad stuff. She wanted to think about Jack “winning” his soccer game. She wanted to think about the delicious pastries Piper and Spencer bought for everyone for breakfast. She wanted to think about how Piper and Derek helped the FBI’s baseball team beat the CIA (rightfully so, considering the CIA was filled with a bunch of jerks). She wanted to think about the beautiful dinner party Rossi threw on Friday night. The laughter, the games. 

The dancing. How Aaron’s hand was on her waist, the two of them swaying along to one of her favorite songs. He looked so handsome-- he  _ was  _ so handsome, intoxicatingly so. Then when he spun her, twirling her so much the world spun, before pulling her right to him. They were so close. Again, the only word that could be pried from her fuzzy mind was  _ intoxicating _ . 

There was nobody on planet Earth during that moment: nobody but the two of them.

_ The almost kiss. _

The comfortable silence in Rossi’s kitchen. The way he looked, leaning against the countertop, smiling so broadly at her that his eyes shimmered brightly. Then the planned coffee date.  _ No, not a date. Just two colleagues, two friends, getting coffee. _

A hand waved in front of her face, making her blink her attention to Piper, who had an arched eyebrow. “Earth to Kass,” she said, dropping her hand, “did you hear anything I just said?” Kassidy’s blank look was more than an answer. “Of course you didn’t,” Piper sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. But it was more out of annoyance than fatigue. In fact, Piper hadn’t looked overly tired today. Her sighing was down to a minimum, which Derek and Emily were definitely confused (and gossiping) about. “I need your interview transcript for the Sylvie Donnelly case.”  _ Right. Work. Which was what she was supposed to be doing right now. _

“Oh my God, sorry. I didn’t even-” But Piper had already waved her hand as Kassidy rummaged through her neatly piled case files. Eventually, she found it, passing it over to Piper. “Wait, you did the interview with me; you don’t have it?” Piper’s face contorted into a painful grimace as she glanced towards Derek’s office. 

“Derek placed his mug of coffee on it when he came in here to harass Spencer again. So now there’s a giant coffee stain on it.” Kassidy laughed as Piper placed the document on her desk across from Spencer’s. “And I don’t need another reason for Strauss to hate me.”

“As though you care whether she likes you or not,” Emily scoffed from her seat, and Piper was quick to correct her on it.

“I don’t care if she hates me. My paperwork, however, is  _ always _ spot on.” Piper made a point to hold up a sheet of paper. Kassidy bit back her smile, looking down at her own work, “Mmhmm,” she hummed.

“It’s true,” Spencer said bitterly. “Her handwriting could be framed.” Piper stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

“Didn’t she give you one of those handwriting templates on her birthday?” Emily asked with a laugh, and somewhere in the conversation, Kassidy was lost in her thoughts again, tapping the bottom of her uncapped pen on the desk. She glanced towards Aaron’s office; his blinds cracked open enough to see him speaking with Rossi. Her mind wandered to her wardrobe because, of course, she would need something cute to wear when she went out for coffee with him. Well, cute but professional. Because it wasn’t a ‘ _ date’ _ date. Was it?

“Okay, seriously, what is up with you?” Piper asked exasperatedly, making the blonde frown slightly. Piper’s shoulders sagged as she watched her friend tenderly. If not for almost everything about her behavior, Piper would assume everything was fine. She was wearing her usual bright clothes, flattering and classy, and nothing Erin Strauss would ever approve of. Not that Aaron could have much room to complain either with how pretty she looked with strands of blonde hair framing her face, the rest of it tied up in a pale, cream-colored scrunchie. Her ruffled pink top complimented her skin, and the flowery skirt did wonders for her frame.

“Nothing. What makes you think something’s up?” She could feel her face warming up under her co-worker’s stares, choosing to avert her gaze back to her files.  _ The ones they were all supposed to be studying for the new case, yet clearly weren’t. _

“Your pen is uncapped, which means you aren’t thinking about paperwork,” Piper sighed. “You zoned out when Rossi was talking about another pasta night, and this is like, the third time you’ve been looking at Hotch’s blinds.” Emily snickered, and Spencer glanced up, immediately having a reason to pay attention to the conversation. Piper shrugged slightly. “I mean, they’re not even a nice colour. I have cushions that are a nicer colour than his blinds.” She made a point to point towards their boss’s office with her pen.

“Oh my God, is this about the coffee date?” Emily realised, her mouth falling open a little as the familiar click of heels stopped right behind them, revealing another beautiful and very excited blonde.

“Coffee date?” Penelope wasn’t a profiler, but she was like a bloodhound when it came to office gossip. “You’re looking straight at Kassidy, and our doctors went on a dinner date last night, and Kassidy’s blushing, and this is about Hotch.” Piper laughed at Penelope’s inhuman skills at picking up gossip. Kassidy huffed, peering up at Penelope through her lashes. 

“Coffee date?” Spencer asked, confused slightly at the reference. Piper found his furrowed brow adorable, just like the slight twitch of his nose. She was desperately resisting the urge to kiss it.

“Our Kassidy asked our unit chief on a coffee date,” Piper said, smirking as she returned to her seat, swiveling in it idly. 

“I asked if he might want to get coffee sometime,” Kassidy mumbled, wanting to just get this over with, “It’s not like a real  _ date _ . Just coffee.”

“Why didn’t you ever ask me out for coffee?” Spencer asked, turning to Piper, who just snickered loudly. He made a pointed face at her, balancing his pen between two fingers. His girlfriend was a cynical beauty, her wavy brown hair spilling onto her shoulders. It looked good long, he decided. She’d ditched her usual lovely sweaters for an off-white linen button-up; the top two buttons were undone, despite his insistence, revealing a silver necklace that nestled perfectly on her chest. A dark red belt was threaded through her slacks, and it was like he was falling in love with her all over again.

“You were too busy fighting off anthrax,” she dismissed with a roll of her eyes, “I couldn’t really take you to Starbucks when your lungs were healing. And we always went out for coffee.”

“That was before we were dating,” Spencer protested. 

“Wait, you caught anthrax?” Kassidy interrupted, staring right at Spencer. He gave a half-hearted shrug, opening his mouth to reply, but not getting a chance.

“That’s old news,” Penelope said quickly, making Spencer pout until Piper pressed a kiss to his hair. “But your frivolous affair with our unit chief? That is a steaming hot cup of delicious tea which you must spill right now.”

Kassidy’s face turned a whole new shade of red as her eyes widened, “Penny!” She hissed, glancing towards Aaron’s office before looking back to her friend, “First of all, keep your voice down. And secondly, there is no  _ affair-” _

“Yet.” Emily wiggled her eyebrows playfully, leaning forward in her seat, “You guys didn’t get coffee yet?”

Kassidy sighed, collapsing back against her chair, deflating a little as all eyes were on her. She lifted her hands and covered her face, mumbling from beneath them, “No. It’s only been a couple of days, guys. And it’s  _ just _ coffee. Stop reading too into it.”

Piper clicked her tongue, shaking her head, “Nah. We don’t have something this entertaining happen around the office. Not since Anderson got a new girlfriend that he was being all secretive about. Which I’m still upset about,” she said pointedly, glancing behind at the agent who shrank in on himself with a smile. “I mean, he’d tell me if it was Gina, right?”

“From forensics?” Penelope turned to her, “Oh my god, that's the cutest-”

“Off-topic, Garcia,” Emily chastised. She was staring at Kassidy, examining her body language. “I’m glad you took my advice and asked him, Kassy, but you gotta like, you know, follow through. Asking was only the first step.”

Kassidy sighed, lowering her hands just enough to see over them. She was frowning, “Eventually. Now drop it and look at your case files, you bunch of meanies. You heard Aa-Hotch. Wheels up soon.” Emily chuckled, turning back to her desk, “Fine, whatever you say, Hughes.”

Piper pursed her lips into a thin line, still swiveling. Her leg was propped up on the chair, and every so often, the back of it would hit the desk. Spencer glanced at her, an unasked question in his eyes. She finally broke eye contact with Kassidy, turning to him, “She called me a meanie.” Piper’s brows furrowed. “Am I a meanie?”

“Oh no,” Spencer raised his eyebrows, “I am not falling for that. I plead the fifth.” Piper’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“I am not mean,” Piper protested.

“You tried to push Derek down the stairs yesterday,” Spencer pointed out with his pen, and Piper pouted, no room left to argue.

“I’m not mean,” she muttered to herself.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” Spencer said, a soft smirk on his lips.

Penelope pouted, still kissing the top of Kassidy’s head nonetheless. “You and me, talking soon, okay? Text me while you’re out saving the world. You know I won’t drop this anytime soon.”

Kassidy didn’t have the energy to argue, choosing to sigh dejectedly, “Right.”

\-----

The case took three days. Three long days in the blistering heat in middle-of-nowhere Kansas. Three days of finding a sibling-team of bad guys who were trying to fix their broken family by kidnapping older women who resembled their deceased mom. 

But, thankfully, it came to a good end. As much of a happy ending as it could be, anyways. The last woman was unharmed, sent home to her family, and the unsubs were arrested. They would spend a long time in prison, Kassidy was sure.

It was Wednesday evening by the time the team arrived home in Quantico. Exhausted and ready for bed, Kassidy collapsed into her chair, staring at the unopened file of paperwork on her desk. All of it would have to be filed and completed before the following evening, but she really didn’t want to have to write out a report right now. 

It didn’t look like anyone else did either, Emily and Derek both making a run for it the moment they could. Emily calling over her shoulder, “See you guys tomorrow!”

JJ hummed, tapping on her bag before turning to Kassidy with a small smile, “Good work on the case,” she praised, “I watched you interrogate the older brother. He was like putty in your hands.”

Kassidy managed a small, confused, smile, “Putty?”

“It’s a saying,” JJ explained, shaking her head a little. She had some faint circles under her eyes. “I’m heading out too. Get some rest, okay? You have all day tomorrow to do that report.” Her eyes flickered to the file on Kassidy’s desk. Kassidy smiled, “I will. Eventually. Night, Jayje.”

Swiveling back and forth in her chair, feeling the wheels move a little, Kassidy just stared at the said file. If she started on it tonight, she’d have time tomorrow to work on her research paper. Which she needed since the deadline was coming up quickly. But honestly, she really wanted to go to bed. She was so tired. Kansas had taken a lot out of her.

It wasn’t long before she felt her eyes close, the dimmed lighting of the bullpen not helping with her exhaustion whatsoever. She could hear the quiet conversation of Piper and Spencer nearby. They had been talking about some fancy play coming to D.C. soon, but she zoned it out. If it weren’t for how uncomfortable these government-issued chairs were, she was sure she’d have fallen asleep. 

“Hughes?”

She flinched, being pulled from her thoughts as her eyes landed on Hotch. He was standing in front of his office, his hands leaning on the railing that separated the catwalk from the rest of the room. Blinking a couple of times, her eyes caught the time on her monitor. 11:41pm. Whoops, maybe she did fall asleep? It was 10:30 a moment ago; she was sure of it. 

Piper and Spencer were gone now too. _ Darn it.  _

“What are you still doing here?” Hotch asked after a moment, allowing her to come to her senses. She sat up, her back cracking after sitting like a freaking pretzel for over an hour. “I, uh, was working on the report. For tomorrow.”

He arched an eyebrow, and she knew that  _ he _ knew that, well, she hadn’t done any work. She fell asleep.  _ How embarrassing. _

“You should go home,” he started to say, closing his office door and walking towards her. She scrunched her nose at the time again, “Trains don’t run this late,” she muttered, “I’ll have to take a cab.” She was mostly talking to herself, allowing her thoughts to organize themselves as she started gathering her things. 

“I can drive you?”

She paused, her heart skipping a beat.  _ Impossible, really, but that’s what it felt like _ . She glanced at him, his hands in his pockets as he stood a reasonable distance from her. 

“N-no, you don’t need to do that. Don’t you live, like, closer than me? Here? I mean,” she stumbled over her words, swallowing, “I don’t want to impose. Or be out of the way.”

Hotch gave her a small smile, “You’re not imposing when I’m the one offering. Come on, let me take you home.”

Well, when he was smiling at her like  _ that _ , how could she say no? She nodded mutely, turning to throw something in her bag real quick before following him to the elevators. The ugly monster called anxiety was trying to make an appearance, but she managed to keep it under control with a well-timed deep breath. For now. 

Standing in the elevator in the middle of the night, in the dead silence, with her boss, (who she had fallen in love with over the last year) was certainly  _ not  _ something she ever imagined happening when she joined the BAU. And yet, here she was, feeling awkward as ever in this situation. 

She peered at him from the corner of her eye. He was staring ahead, watching the numbers light up as they dropped floors to the car garage. She could see the creases and lines of exhaustion by his eyes, the faint color of purple painting his skin under his eyes with sleep-deprivation. The whole team had worked so hard in the last few days, pulling almost all-nighters to save that woman. She wasn’t surprised to see them all looking like zombies when they stepped off the jet. Spencer had gotten a severe case of bedhead, which Derek would have usually teased him about, but even he didn’t have the energy.

She wondered if she should say something. Maybe tell him that he did an excellent job on the case? Or ask why he, too, was at the office so late? 

Or maybe she should bring up the yet-to-happen coffee date? They hadn’t had the time, being on a case after all.

Before she could say anything, however, the elevator doors opened, and he held out his hand, “Ladies first.”

She blushed, stepping out into the parking lot. Mr. Aaron Hotchner had a special spot reserved just for him, alongside other unit chiefs (and the higher-ups, of course) nearby. And, ever the gentleman he was, he opened her door for her. Fighting back the urge to giggle like a highschooler, Kassidy bit her bottom lip, choosing to smile instead, “Thank you.”

His smile and nod was her cue to step up into his vehicle. He closed the door softly behind her, making sure her skirt was fully inside before doing so. 

She pulled her bag into her lap, running her fingertips along one of the patches she had sewn on recently. It was of a little bumble-bee, and the texture was nice to fiddle with. Hotch climbed in soon after, starting the car, and slowly heading towards her home. 

Which, as she had stated earlier, was a bit out of his way. She started to feel bad, glancing over at him as he focused on the road. 

After a moment of tense silence, they both tried speaking at the same time.

“So about the coffee-”

“Would you like to-”

Hotch chuckled a little as Kassidy leaned into her seat, nervously pushing her hair behind her ear. He glanced at her, “You first.” He was smiling—nothing to be nervous about. 

Except she was  _ so nervous, _ it wasn’t even funny. 

“Well, I, um,” she started, clearing her throat. He refocused back on the road, his fingertips tapping along the steering wheel in a soft beat to the quiet music that played from the radio. It was a classic rock station. “I just wanted to know,” she began again, shifting in her seat, “if you still wanted to go out for coffee? Sometime?”

_ Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. _

His smile seemed to grow, the streetlights overhead illuminating his features as they turned into her part of town. 

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” he said. It felt like the weight of the whole world fell from her shoulders, her smile turning into something giddy. “Really?”

“Yeah. How about tomorrow? Before work? I can pick you up?” He looked at her, gauging her reaction. She felt like she was grinning like mad but decided she didn’t care. “Okay! I mean- yes. Okay. Sure. Um, text me when you’re on the way?”

Hotch’s grin rivaled hers as he pulled up in front of her apartment building. He turned towards her, “I will. Have a good night, Hughes.”

“Kassidy,” she said as she climbed out of the car, “you can call me Kassidy. Outside of work, remember?”

She couldn’t see his face very well in the dark, but she was sure he was  _ blushing _ . “Right. Kassidy. See you tomorrow.”

She was practically vibrating as she waved and closed the door. He stayed until she reached the front of her building, and continued to wait until she was securely inside. How could he drive himself home when his heart was about to explode out of his chest? 

Kassidy didn’t even make it to her own front door before she was frantically texting the girls’ group chat.

**Sunshine:** _ We’re getting coffee tomorrow! Before work! <3 _

Of course, nobody responded; it was almost 12:30am. But she didn’t care. 

She slept fairly well that night, asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows.


	2. Get Better Baskets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes coffee dates have to wait. But get better baskets always make things better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is turning into something much longer, and much angstier, than we anticipated.   
> Yay!
> 
> No trigger warnings, just some anxiety (Kass is a mess tbh), and cute stuff!

Sunlight poured into Kassidy’s bedroom, waking her up with a gentle breeze. Rolling over in her sleepy state, she almost fell over onto the floor. Almost. She’d just managed to wake up before her forehead bumped into the bedside table. Cookie was glaring at her from her usual spot on the bed. That cat had more expressions than anyone she knew.

Remembering her ‘date’, Kassidy fumbled for her phone, pushing her copy of  _ To Kill A Mockingbird  _ aside, checking it for one particular text. Instead, it looked like she received half a dozen wrong ones.

**Badass Babe:** _Hell yeah!! About time, babe! Make sure you wear something hot!! >:)_

**Pied Pipes:** _Don’t listen to her. You might end up scaring Hotch away. Just wear something classy._

**Hot Mama:** _But she needs to look fuckable!! <33333_

**JJ:** _ On a coffee date? She’s gotta go to work after, Pen. Imagine what Strauss would say. _

**Pied Pipes:** _You just had to bring her up. And I was having such a good night._

There were dozens more underneath, and Kassidy groaned, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the time. 7:34am. There was still plenty of time before they were all needed in the office at 9:00, so maybe Aaron just wasn’t up and ready yet? 

She could feel Cookie stand, stretch, and jump from the bed. “Morning to you too,” she mumbled at the cat who just walked away from her. Sitting up, stifling a yawn, she scrolled through all the messages, making sure she didn’t miss anything important. But considering it was a 2am conversation, the only thing she knew for sure was that it  _ wasn’t _ important at all. 

Piper had only sent one text at about 1am, to dismiss Emily’s advice, after which she, most likely, turned her phone off. Kassidy imagined she was probably awake by now, though. If there was anyone’s advice she trusted, it was Piper’s. After all, Piper had never pushed her to confess her feelings to anyone but herself. If anyone on the team truly knew her, it was probably Pipes, and Kassidy debated calling her right there and then. She’d at least have better advice than,  _ “wear something hot.” _

Aaron hadn’t texted her yet, but Kassidy had no idea whether he was awake or not. She could always just get ready for work, maybe call Piper after if Aaron still hadn’t texted her.  _ Classy. What’s classy? _ She exhaled deeply.  _ Who knows?  _

Her wardrobe was a mismatched mess of colors and textures. She managed to just barely make it past Strauss’s “professional clothes only” rule when it came to her clothing choices. Was there a difference between classy and professional? Would a bright pink blouse look good with black slacks-- that definitely needed to be ironed? Was pink considered classy?

“Kassidy!” 

The blonde’s heart rate sped up at the yell echoing from her living room. She fumbled for her gun, thankful it was on her dresser, holding it just like Derek had shown her, before treading towards the hallway. 

“Kassidy, hurry up! I’m getting hungry!” 

That was a weird thing for a potential kidnapper to say, and the voice was undoubtedly familiar to her. Barefoot, Kassidy tiptoed into her living room, finding Piper perched on her kitchen counter. Piper’s glance finally caught on Kassidy’s body, and her nose scrunched slightly. “I hope that’s not what you’re wearing on your date.” Kassidy’s skirt was somewhat crumpled, and her yellow cardigan had wrinkles all over it.

“I uh, I just woke up. Like 10 minutes ago. It’s 7:30, Pipes.”

Piper made a pointed face, motioning to the gun still in Kassidy’s hand, “Put that away before you hurt yourself.”

Kassidy scrunched her nose up but did so, setting it on the coffee table. She turned back to Piper, “What are you doing here?”

“Look, I have a breakfast date with Spencer in like--” She glanced at her black floral watch-- “35 minutes, so I’m picking out your wardrobe and then leaving.”

“You don’t have to--” But Piper had already shushed her, fast-walking to her bedroom and throwing open Kass’s wardrobe, searching through the racks. 

“Jeez, Kass, you could open up a skirt store in here,” Piper grumbled as Kassidy slumped onto her bed.

“Thanks,” she droned.

“I mean, you don’t own a single pair of non-black slacks. I need to take you proper shopping.”

“I thought you were here to  _ help _ ,” Kassidy reminded her. “I really don’t need to be reminded this early that you have a cooler wardrobe than me.” She kicked her foot out, letting it fall back against the bed, her heel thumping against the box spring. 

Something inside Piper must have snapped, for the brunette faltered for a second. Taking a deep breath, the older woman turned around. Kassidy swallowed, feeling like she just messed up. Somehow.

“I don’t have a cooler wardrobe than you,” Piper said plainly. There was no judgment or care in her voice. It was an indifferent fact. “I have a  _ different _ wardrobe than you, and you actively live in an alternate reality where  _ your _ choices and  _ your _ likes are somehow less worthy than mine.” 

Kassidy frowned. It was far too early for this kind of pep talk. Piper sighed deeply before taking a seat on Kassidy’s bed. “Penelope told me that the girls didn’t let you choose your own dress for that party.” Kassidy shook her head.

“They didn’t even show it to me,” she said petulantly, hyper-aware of how childish she sounded.

“Yeah, well, I told them that was stupid, and I think, professionally, that’s partly why you had that anxiety attack that night.” Piper’s gaze was tender, a warmth in her chocolatey-brown eyes. “Kass, I don’t care about what you wear to this date. You could show up in a potato sack so long as  _ you _ are comfortable. Show me what you want to wear.” 

Kassidy bit her lip, staring at her closet. She never imagined picking out clothes would be so daunting. 

“Hey, forget about me and Hotch and Strauss,” Piper said, taking Kassidy’s hands in her own. “Just take a deep breath, and pick what you want.” 

“Right.” Kassidy stood from the bed, making her way towards what seemed to be the most impossible task (of choosing an outfit, something she had never had a problem with until right now). Her eyes scanned the racks as her fingers pressed some dresses aside. She had quite a collection, but most of them were older, thrifted. She hadn’t worn anything like that to work, and she wanted _ something _ that was work-appropriate. At least. 

Finally, she lingered on one dress that she hadn’t worn yet. This one was brand new (a Target special). She pulled it from the rack and turned to Piper, holding it against herself with a silent question of whether or not it looked good. 

Piper had pulled her legs up onto the bed and was sitting criss-cross, her hands in her lap. She smiled, giving Kassidy a thumbs up, “That one’s pretty! Do you like it?”

“I haven’t worn it before,” she admitted, looking it over. It was a pale blue color, almost periwinkle blue, with little patterns of white flowers dotting it. Daisies, she thought. The waist was cinched in just a way that it would give the wearer a bit of an hourglass impression, the skirt short and flowy. It sure was pretty.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Piper said, a smug smirk on her face. “Do you like it?” 

Kassidy felt a small smile grow on her face as she imagined what Hotch-- Aaron-- would think of her in it.  _ Gorgeous, _ he said once. Did he really think she was gorgeous?

“Yeah,” she said quietly, making a stupid grin appear on Piper’s face.

“Then what are you waiting for?” she asked, pretending to be frustrated. “Go shower and get changed. I’ll pick out some jewelry and shoes for you.” Piper shooed her off into the bathroom, but Kassidy lingered behind the door.

“Thanks, Pipes,” Kassidy murmured.

“Don’t mention it,” Piper said genuinely before resuming her older sister role. “But you better take back the ‘meanie’.”

“Nope,” Kassidy retorted, poking out her tongue before closing the bathroom door on her. Piper sighed dramatically. 

“Why I help her is beyond me,” she murmured to herself, tidying up the bed before rummaging through Kassidy’s jewelry box.

Kassidy took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, wondering if she could get away with skipping the shower. No, definitely not, not when her hair was sticking out all over the place like it was. She was suddenly so thankful Piper didn’t tease her about it. Emily would have. Derek would have been relentless. At least Piper was nice-- when it counted. She smirked at herself, checking her face once more, before preparing her shower. 

Twelve minutes later (a fair amount of shower time, if anyone asked her), she was stepping out of the bathroom, using her towel to dry her hair. 

Piper was sitting on her bed again, frowning at her phone. She was chewing the corner of her bottom lip, her forefinger tapping on the edge of her phone. Kassidy raised her eyebrows, “What? That’s not a good look.”

Piper sighed, running her hand through her hair before meeting Kassidy’s eyes, “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Hotch just messaged everyone to say he won’t be in today. Jack’s sick.”

Kassidy felt herself deflate, her shoulders physically drooping a little bit. Piper nodded, still frowning, “I know, I’m sorry. Look, it happens sometimes,” Piper tried to be comforting, “and you should definitely wear that dress today. It’s very cute. Very you.” 

Kassidy shrugged, glancing down at herself. It  _ was _ very cute, but she didn’t really have anyone to wear it for anymore. However, Piper spoke up again, as if she was reading her mind, “You can always wear it when you do go out with him, you know? Clothes are reusable. That’s why we have washing machines.”

The corners of Kassidy’s lips twitched upwards a little into a small smile. She sighed, tossing her towel into the hamper, “Alright. I’ll still wear it. You should get going for your breakfast date. Which, I’m sure, was totally not impromptu based on that argument you two had about coffee dates.”

Piper scoffed, pulling herself from the bed, “No, of course not. We’re always going on spontaneous dates. That just happens to involve breakfast and coffee.” Piper moved over to Kassidy, telling her to turn around, and the young agent obliged. She felt Piper’s warm hand brush Kassidy’s hair aside before pulling a chain around her neck, a silver heart-shaped locket nestling on her chest. 

Kassidy turned around, facing Piper as she pushed the hair off her shoulder. She did her best impression of Emily that she could muster, narrowing her eyebrows in that way that told everyone,  _ “I don’t believe you.”  _

Piper waved her off, “Okay, whatever. See you at work, okay? Don’t let this get you down too much. We can’t control the germs little kids pick up.”

Kassidy plopped herself on her bed, “I’m sure if Spence were here, he’d be able to tell us exactly how many germs a little kid can come into contact within a day.”

“Well, if you’re really interested, it’s not about the number of germs; it’s about the time you spend with people. Most people have an average of around 26 social contact hours a day, but children have an average of more than 47 contact hours, and a teacher has 32 contact hours.” Kassidy’s brow furrowed.

“How do you remember all that?” Piper shrugged, her forehead wrinkling slightly.

“I’m not really sure. Might be echoic memory or something,” she scoffed.

“Bye, Piper,” Kassidy smiled, waving her hand. Piper waved back from the door before turning around and heading out. She called out before leaving, “Bye, Kassy. Love you!”

“Love you too!”

Following the click of the front door closing behind Piper, Kassidy was once again alone in her apartment. Well, mostly alone. Cookie was around somewhere, she was sure. 

She laid back on her bed, reaching for her phone and checking it. There was one new message. 

**Aaron Hotchner:** _ I’m so sorry, Kassidy, but we’re going to have to go for coffee another time. Jessica is out of town, and Jack is sick, so I’m staying home with him today. I hope you understand. _

She tapped her fingers along the backside of the phone for a moment, staring at the screen. Yeah, she was disappointed, especially because it had already been almost a week since the dinner party at Rossi’s, where they agreed to go out for coffee. But, this wasn’t his, or Jack’s, fault. 

And poor Jack. He was six years old, and it was summertime. He should be playing outside and making summer memories, but he was stuck inside, feeling crummy. 

She continued to stare at his message for a moment longer before typing a quick reply back. 

**Kassidy Hughes:** _ Don’t worry about it! I totally understand that things happen. I hope he feels better soon. Tell him hi for me, will you? _

And as she waited for his reply, she got an idea. Why have Aaron tell Jack hello for her when she could stop by and say it herself? With a few gifts for the boy, to cheer him up, of course. 

\---

This was a tradition she had started in college, gifting little “get well soon” baskets for her friends when they were sick. Back then, her baskets usually consisted of soup, medication, and her friend’s favorite candy.

For Jack, she wanted to be a little more creative. After all, he was six, not twenty-two working towards a Master’s in History. 

So after what she hoped was a successful trip to the store, she was now standing in front of Aaron’s home—and feeling a little overwhelmed. 

What if he thought it was weird for her to do this? Was it considered stalking? Maybe not stalking, but definitely weird. Maybe stalkerish? Normal friends didn’t do this sort of thing, did they? Or did they? Because, sure, if Piper were sick, she would make her a “get well” basket. But Piper was her best friend. Jack was her boss’s son. Her boss, who she was in love with, and who she was supposed to be on a coffee date (but not a date) with right now. 

Her boss, who was opening the door with a bemused look as she was standing on the sidewalk like a total weirdo, a small basket tucked under her arm, her bookbag over her shoulder. And still wearing the cute pale blue dress. 

He definitely took a moment longer than expected to look her up and down before speaking, “Hughes, what are you doing here?”

She blinked, unable to form words. He wasn’t dressed for work-- because why would he be? He was stuck at home with a sick child. But she had never seen him in grey sweatpants before, and it was the sort of thing that not even her imagination could have prepared her for. His hair was unkempt, and he was wearing a black t-shirt (also something she had never seen him in before. She was certain his whole wardrobe was polo’s and suits). 

“Hughes?” He asked again, taking a step onto the porch. She swallowed- right, words. She needed to talk, and not just gape at him like a fish out of water. 

“I um,” she cleared her throat, taking a step up the pathway to his home, “Well, I just wanted to drop this off for Jack,” she started to explain. Her heart was in her throat.

He smiled, leaning back against the doorframe, “Yeah? Well, he’s excited to see you.”

“How-”

“He just told me ‘Kass has been standing in front of the house for about five minutes’,” he explained. 

She pursed her lips together, exhaling through her nose. Ah.  _ She was such a weirdo. A disaster human.  _

“Yes, I, um,” she shifted from one foot to the other, “I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate? And kind of… Well, I wasn’t sure.”

Aaron pushed his door open, using his hand to motion her to come in, “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure whatever you brought Jack, he’ll love. Especially because it’s from you.”

_ Oh boy.  _ Somehow the man in front of her made this whole thing worse by saying that. And by worse, maybe better? Her heart was hammering in her chest as she stepped onto the porch, bowing her head as she passed him and entered the house. 

He had moved in fairly recently, needing more space for Jack that wasn’t just an apartment. Kassidy was there to help (and by help, she mostly sat in the kitchen with JJ as they watched Piper argue with Derek about paint colors for the living room), so she knew the layout fairly well already. 

On her left was the living room, where Jack was snuggled in what looked like a thousand blankets on the couch. Only his face was poking out from his little comfort-cocoon. “Hi, Kass,” Jack managed to get out in a very nasally tone of voice. He definitely had a cold, and Kassidy couldn’t resist the urge to press the back of her hand gently against his forehead. His skin felt like a sun-baked tomato, slightly red in the face and very warm.

“Hey, honey. How are you feeling?”

“Hot,” he grumbled. “Dad won’t let me out of the blanket.”

“You need to stay warm, buddy,” Aaron admonished him, crossing his arms, and Kassidy couldn’t help but giggle. She’d never seen the fatherly side of Aaron before. Aside from his bossy couching on the soccer field. 

Jack frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. Kassidy couldn’t help but notice how much he looked like his dad, that same amount of Hotchner sternness on his features. She pushed his bangs from his face, kneeling on the floor beside him. 

He pushed himself sitting up a little, “What’re you doing here anyways?” he asked, eyeing the basket in her other hand. She set it down on the coffee table, then pulled her bookbag over her head and set it on the floor nearby, “It’s a surprise,” she said. 

That got his attention, the little boy wiggling a little to try and get a better look. He pulled his arms from his cocoon, setting his hands in his lap. “A surprise? For me?”

Kassidy smiled warmly at him, nodding her head, “Yes, for you! Your dad told me that you were sick, so I made you one of my famous ‘get better’ baskets for you.”

“What’s a get better basket?”

She picked the basket up, pulling the cloth she had used to cover it off. Inside was a small stuffed t-rex, a DVD with the first few episodes of  _ Little Einsteins _ , a packet of hot chocolate mix, and a blueberry muffin that she picked up from the nearby cafe. Jack’s eyes lit up as he took the basket, scanning the contents slowly. 

Then he looked up at her, the biggest grin on his face, his eyes crinkled as he giggled, “Thank you, Kass! Thank you so much!”

It took everything in her power not to pull him into the tightest embrace, smiling back at the floppy-haired boy as he hugged his new t-rex close. He looked up at Aaron, “Dad! Look what Kass brought me! Can I watch this now, please? And have some hot chocolate?”

Aaron smiled, the crinkles by his eyes looking more like genuine happiness rather than exhaustion (a look that Kassidy very much preferred). He nodded, “Yeah, buddy. I’ll put the movie on, and then I’ll get started on the hot chocolate, okay?”

“Mmhmm!” Jack nodded, his smile so bright it was contagious. Kassidy smoothed some of his hair back again as she stood up, kissing his forehead, “I’m glad you like your present, Jack. I hope you feel better soon.”

“I already do!” He held the t-rex out to her, “I’m naming him Agent, because he’s a secret agent like you guys.”

“That’s a great name,” Kassidy replied, shaking Agent’s tiny hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Agent.” Jack giggled again, holding his new toy close as Aaron popped the DVD into the player. He handed the remote to Jack, “You remember what button to press when the main menu comes up?”

“Yes, dad,” Jack nodded, pointing to it. Aaron chuckled, stepping back, “Alright. Kass and I are going to the kitchen now, okay? Let me know if you need me.”

“Okay.”

Kassidy grabbed the hot chocolate mix and followed Aaron to the other room. Turning the corner, she was surprised to see him facing her; his bottom lip sucked between his teeth like he was debating on something. She blinked a couple of times as he stared at her, and nervously started messing with her hair. She had put it in a ponytail, using a blue ribbon to tie it up. Sometimes she worried that the way she styled her hair was too childish--

“You look nice,” Aaron said, leaning back against the counter. She blushed, averting her eyes. He cleared his throat, “I’m sorry again, for not being able to go for coffee with you.”

“No,” she shook her head, “Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault that Jack’s sick. I’m actually really, um,” she paused, finally looking back up at him. His eyes had been roaming over her figure, stopping to meet her gaze again. She shuffled her feet a little, “It’s good of you, to take care of your son. We all understand that family is first.”

She watched as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. His grip on the counter tightened, his knuckles turning a faded white. 

Did she say something wrong?

“Thank you. For understanding. And for the gifts. That will probably be Jack’s favorite toy now,” Aaron spoke, his voice a little quieter than before. 

Kassidy nodded, setting the hot chocolate on the counter nearest to her. She smiled at him, and she could swear his pupils dilated. “Well, I should be going. Even when you’re not in, we still have work to do.”

He nodded firmly, “Right. Of course. Let me see you out.”

He walked her to the living room, where she grabbed her bag, smiling down at Jack, “Bye, sweetheart. I’ll see you when you feel better, okay?” He nodded, not taking his eyes off the TV. She laughed softly, patting his head before walking away, earning a grumble and a swipe of his hand as he tried to fix his hair. 

Aaron was standing by the front door, with his arms crossed over his chest. He opened the door for her, an unreadable look behind his eyes. She stepped onto the porch, adjusting her bag a little, “I’ll see you later?”

“Yes, I should be back tomorrow. Jessica comes home tonight, so she’ll be able to watch Jack again.”

“Okay. Well, have a good day, Hotch.”

He gave her a playful look, raising his eyebrows, “Aaron.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, trying to contain her blush as she took a step backward and towards the curb, she nodded, “Right. Aaron. See you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! <3


	3. The Sick fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kassidy seems to have caught Jack's cold, putting off the coffee date once again. Piper comes over to help take care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay sick-fics!   
> Thanks again so much Rucha for practically writing this whole part, lmao. Piper to the rescue, like always <3

Unfortunately, Aaron was out much longer than one day. Jessica had an emergency with her father, keeping her out of town for upwards of a week. So for the next few days before the weekend, Rossi was in charge. And Rossi was a much easier (and nicer, according to Emily) boss than Hotch, which meant the work week wasn’t quite so exhausting. He outright ignored Strauss, so the push for getting paperwork done by a specific time wasn’t as bad as usual. Something Kassidy appreciated greatly, considering she could hardly focus on the piles of research and reports in front of her. Of course, the lax rules didn’t stop Spencer and Piper from rushing through their paperwork.

Ever since she stopped by Aaron’s, she had been feeling a little under the weather. She probably caught Jack's cold, really, but it wasn’t too bad. She hadn’t been sick in years, so this was nothing she couldn’t handle.

And by the time Aaron was back, they were out of the office and in the field again. Most of their recent cases had been in Virginia or DC, which Kassidy was so grateful for. That meant she didn’t have to worry about sleeping in a motel while sick (a gross thing to do on a good day).

There was a strangler in Georgetown, a kidnapper in Ashburn, and an escalating voyeurist in Bethesda. Three different cases, three days in a row. It was like the universe wasn’t allowing anyone a break. Because the moment one case was over, and Kassidy could see Aaron approaching her (probably to ask about the  _ coffee date _ ), Strauss would appear with another file.  _ “Like a vulture,”  _ Piper said. 

Piper had been distraught with Spencer for the last two days after he confronted the kidnapper alone, then went on an undercover operation to catch the voyeurist. Due to some mistakes, this was the reason for the team being in the office on a Sunday, working on finishing their paperwork before Monday morning.

Kassidy usually found the genius duo’s arguments hilarious (mostly because they were pointless, and the names they called each other were very colorful, if not childish, really). Except for this time, Piper seemed to have hit a nerve, because while their meaningless quarrels were loud and short, this one was long and practically silent. And between most of the team focusing on trying to solve the cases, and the doctors’ argument, no-one noticed how Kassidy had been growing more and more tired over the week, at least until now, on Sunday afternoon. 

Piper couldn’t even count on both her hands the number of times Kassidy had been sneezing so far. It wasn’t even cold and flu season. It was July. Kassidy had mumbled that it must have been an allergy or hayfever, but again, it was July. 

Of course, both Rossi and Piper had tried to watch over her. Rossi had gotten her medication from the drug store a few blocks away, and Piper was making sure she was drinking plenty of fluids while blatantly ignoring Spencer, who sat approximately 3 feet from her. Kassidy had nodded off more times than she’d care to admit, and Piper couldn’t help but start feeling slightly worried. So much so that she’d effectively taken all the remaining paperwork from her desk and told Hotch to send Kass home. 

Kassidy argued, “No, Pipes, it’s fine! If anything, I just have a cold. I’m fine. Let me do my work, please?” But with one look from Aaron, seeing her puffy eyes and reddish nose, he ordered that she go home and get some rest immediately. She huffed, glaring at Piper before gathering her things, the latter of which just smiling at her softly, “Don’t worry about work, Kass. Just focus on getting better, okay?”

Spencer watched Emily guide Kassidy to the elevators, trying to make sure she wouldn’t collapse half-way there before his gaze shifted to Piper, who had rushed back down and used the phone from her desk to dial Penelope’s hotline. 

“Hey Pen, Kassy’s sick. You think you can whip up one of your home remedies?” 

Spencer’s frown melted slightly as he watched Piper. For all her yelling at him about a lack of self-preservation instincts, Piper had the same self-sacrificial tendency, only surfacing when her family was in desperate need. He looked to his own pile of paperwork, which was quickly dwindling, and with a sigh, rolled his chair over to Piper’s desk. “No, I don’t know what chowder is,” she sighed into the phone, pressing her fingers to her temple as her eyes closed. “The woman lives on takeout….Yeah, Hotch sent her home.” Her brow arched as Spencer lifted half of Kassidy’s pile before rolling his chair back to the desk. Piper settled the phone onto its receiver. “I was gonna do that,” she said. Her first words to him all day.

“I find it meditative.” 

“You-- Whatever,” Piper sighed, pulling the next file onto her desk and grabbing her pen. 

\---

Emily’s version of playing nurse to Kassidy was a very haphazard one, with more blankets than she thought necessary. She was pretty sure she couldn’t feel her arms at this point, and she was pretty sure Emily had given her Nyquil instead of Dayquil-- because her eyes were fluttering shut, just barely conscious enough to see Emily pacing as she scrolled through her phone. 

“The internet said you’re dying,” Emily said eventually. “It says your urine should be pale yellow, almost colorless. You feel like peeing?” Kassidy almost wanted to throw up. But she had half a mind to reach out to the coffee table and grab her phone weakly, dialing the first number on the speed dial.

“Help, I think Emily’s going to kill me,” Kassidy rasped.

_ “Okay, give me 5 minutes. I’ll be there,” _ Piper replied, scribbling a note for Hotch.  _ “Spencer’s gonna do all your paperwork.” _

_ “Hey, I agreed to half,” _ Spencer protested, his voice faint on the line. 

_ “Technically, you didn’t agree to anything,” _ Kassidy heard Piper say.  _ “So maybe you should think about that before throwing yourself at another unsub without a vest.” _

_ “One time--”  _ Spencer tried, making Kassidy groan.

_ “March 19th, 2010, he had a knife, and he had a delusion that everyone was going to kill him. Why would you take off your vest?” _

“Pipes, I feel like throwing up. Please come home.”

_ “Right, leaving now, be there in 10. Give the phone to Emily.” _ Kassidy mumbled something incoherent and weakly holding her hand up with the cell. Her muscles relaxed as Emily took the phone, and she curled up in her bed, letting her eyes flutter close. 

The next time she opened them, she found Piper curled up in an armchair, reading Kassidy’s copy of  _ To Kill A Mockingbird.  _ It always hit her how different Piper was from her. How much cooler she was. Like some kind of badass biker babe.  _ Did I just say badass? I don’t think I’ve ever said that before. _

Piper had tucked her feet up onto the chair, a faded black shirt with the Cranberries on it and grey sweatpants, her hair barely held together with a clip.

“You’re here,” Kassidy mumbled sleepily.

“You’ve got a fever,” Piper said, idly turning a page. Soft music spilled from the speakers.

“Is that Taylor Swift?” Kassidy asked, a soft giggle spilling from her lips. Piper’s lips parted as though Kassidy had offended her.

“I can like Taylor Swift. And Ed Sheeran. Why can’t I like pop music?” Kassidy pursed her lips.

“Because. You like rock music and AC/DC.”

“I don’t like AC/DC,” Piper corrected her, abandoning the book. “They just sing the same lyrics over and over. I like their riffs. I also like Bastille and Imagine Dragons. I’m not…”

“Picky?” Kassidy said before giggling uncontrollably at the guitar pun.

“Okay, you, ma’am, are delirious,” Piper announced, reaching for the cloth that was submerged in cold water.

“What’s that?” Kassidy asked, turning to watch Piper squeeze the water out of it.

“Lie straight,” Piper ordered before pressing the cold cloth to Kassidy’s forehead. “You could fry an egg on your forehead with that fever,” she murmured. Kassidy pouted. 

“That doesn’t sound very hygienic.”

“You sound like Spencer,” Piper huffed, returning to her chair.

“Why do you keep fighting with him?” Kassidy asked, her voice still drowsy. Piper sighed, pulling her knees to her chest as  _ Back to December _ started playing. She must have brought her own speaker from home. And a change of clothes. 

“It’s not like I want to fight with him,” Piper said slowly. “It’s just...I don’t like seeing him in danger. And that’s the job, and I get that. But then he has to make it harder, you know? He’ll take off his vest or something stupider, and it’s constantly just that...that panic.” Piper was trying hard not to cry, staring at Kassidy’s toes under the bedsheet. “And I’m not good with...feelings. So I lash out, or I close myself off, which makes him angry, and it’s just… a mess.” Kassidy hadn’t said anything for a moment, and Piper looked up, her shoulders sagging when she realized the blonde had fallen asleep again to the tune of  _ Dear John _ . Piper shook her head, using the opportunity to press a kiss to Kassidy’s cheek before curling up in her spot and resuming her page.

\---

Spencer was probably overthinking this like always. He tapped his foot in front of the florist, who was clearly exasperated with him.  _ How were you supposed to say sorry for being an idiot who almost died, making your girlfriend panic, and causing a fight for three days? _

“Um, maybe a few camellias?” He knew camellias were symbolic of a destined love, and even if Piper didn’t believe in destiny, he couldn’t understand it in any other way. 

“A couple of pink carnations.”  _ I will never forget you. _ The florist plucked them out, prepping the stems before adding them to the bouquet. 

“Scarlet geraniums,” Spencer asked next, watching the florist rearrange them.  _ Stupidity. _ He should have had a better plan before rushing in without a vest. He was supposed to be a genius, after all. “Anything else?” The florist asked, bored by Spencer’s anxiety. 

“Just some hazel. That’s it.”  _ Reconciliation. _ He just wanted to talk to her again. Derek had been the one to convince him to take the step forward. 

_ “Look, kid, it isn’t about right or wrong or logic. The two of you have a communication problem. Just get in the door and talk it out.” _

So here he was at Kassidy’s front door with a bouquet that he’d easily spent 20 minutes overthinking and just as much money. Just as he was about to open the door to the building, a familiar man stepped up to the apartment complex, ditching his usual suit for a polo and trousers, a bag in his hand. “Hotch?” 

Aaron probably should have recognized the tall, lanky doctor holding a bouquet in shades of red. But he was too busy trying to come up with an excuse as to why he was personally delivering the soup that Penelope was more than ready to hand-deliver.

“Reid,” Aaron affirmed, without mirroring Spencer’s confusion. “Are those for--”

“They’re for Piper,” Spencer said far too quickly. “She’s mad at me.”

Aaron nodded, understanding completely. The behavioral analyst had yelled at the genius harder than even he, their boss, had. 

“I thought Penelope was coming with soup,” Spencer said slowly, glancing down at the container. 

“She had an unexpected appointment with Agent Lynch,” Aaron replied, steeling his expression. Spencer’s nose scrunched, probably out of habit. He was somewhat indifferent about Kevin, but Piper’s reaction had rubbed off on him. 

Upstairs, Kassidy was  _ panicking _ . Or, panicking as much as she could in her state. NyQuil was still in her system, making her drowsy and sluggish. But the look on her face was enough to make Piper arch her eyebrows.

Kassidy had moved by the window a little bit ago, wanting to feel the sun on her skin as Piper read to her. It had been nice, right up until she peered out and noticed her  _ boss _ parking on the street, and approaching her apartment building with a bag in his hands.  _ What was he doing here?  _

Piper peeked out the window and frowned, seeing Spencer standing there too. “What?” She asked out loud, not like either of the men could hear her. Grumbling, she left Kassidy’s room, closing the door behind her. 

Kassidy peeked out from her blanket fort (or, well, her own cocoon, she thought- kind of like Jack’s). She glanced outside again, noticing Spencer this time. With flowers. Which was cute, because, clearly, he had brought them for Piper-- except by the tone in Piper’s voice, Kassidy was sure that she  _ wasn’t _ too happy about him showing up here. 

She watched out the window as Piper appeared in front of the two men, startling them. Some people were walking by on the sidewalk, oblivious to the completely awkward and anxiety-inducing situation that was happening right there in front of them. Kassidy sunk further into her blankets, secretly hoping Piper would send both men away. 

Because, honestly, she was so gross right now. And sweaty. And her hair was a mess. And she needed a shower. Not to mention she looked like death from the fever she broke about 20 minutes ago--

She heard the front door open. Looking back outside, she didn’t see Aaron or Spencer anymore.  _ But Aaron’s car was still there _ \-- oh no. 

“Kass?” Piper called from the other room, “You have guests.”

Kassidy groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. This wasn’t as good as being swallowed up by a hole, but it was better than nothing. Maybe she could hide forever in the comfort of a blanket cocoon?

Piper opened the bedroom door, frowning at the lump in the windowsill, “Kass,” she sighed. “Hotch brought Penny’s soup over, and I know you haven’t eaten all day. You don’t have a fever anymore, for now, so you should eat while you can stomach it.”

Kassidy mumbled something from her cocoon. Piper made a face, “I can’t hear you. Come on, get up. Let’s go to the living room.”

Kassidy’s mumbling became a little more urgent, making Piper walk over and pull the covers up, “What?”

“I said I can’t let him see me like this,” Kassidy hissed, hiding her face behind her hands. Piper snickered, “Oh, that’s what you’re worried about? Hon, calm down. You look fine. Well, for a sick person.”

Kassidy peeked between her fingers, narrowing her eyes a little, “I refuse to let him see me like this. _ Refuse.” _

Piper exhaled dramatically, dropping the cover before sitting back down in her chair, “Come on, Kassy. He came all this way just to bring you some soup. And, he mentioned something about you bringing Jack a ‘get better’ basket a few days ago? That sounds cute.” She waited for Kassidy to reply, but she didn’t. So, with a sigh, she leaned back a little, “Well, I guess we’ll all just go enjoy some of Penelope’s homemade chicken soup ourselves. You can sit in here and wallow if you want.”

“Nooo,” Kassidy mumbled. Piper held back a laugh, shaking her head, “Then get up, you drama queen. We can put something on the TV if you want?”

The covers lifted just enough for Kassidy’s face to poke out. She nodded slowly, before stalling, “Only if I shower first.”

“Fine,” Piper rolled her eyes, standing up, “We’ll be in the living room. Holler if you need me, okay?”

“Yes, mom.”

“Ew, no.”

Kassidy giggled at Piper’s reaction, watching her go.  _ Okay, now to shower, then face my boss, and hopefully not look disgusting. Good plan. _

On the other side of the apartment, Aaron was standing awkwardly by the front door. Piper had told him to “wait here” before walking down the hall and disappearing into Kassidy’s bedroom. So, wait, he did. Spencer had taken a seat on the couch, clearly more comfortable in her apartment than Aaron was. He wondered if Piper and Spencer spent a lot of time here? Probably. It was typical for Piper and Kassidy to hang out together outside of work, and whenever Piper wasn’t with her, she was perhaps with Spencer. 

Spencer was still holding the bouquet, his thumbs fiddling with the plastic that held the stems together. Aaron couldn’t help but wonder what Spencer had planned on doing when he showed up at his sick co-worker’s house with flowers for his girlfriend. Did he have some kind of apology speech prepared? 

Aaron suddenly felt much more out-of-place than before. He didn’t need to see his subordinates kiss and make up. Or fight more. Whatever happened first. 

Piper eventually re-emerged from the bedroom, walking past Spencer and to Aaron, taking the bag from him. “She’s going to take a shower, then said she’ll come out and watch a movie or something with us.” She spoke so casually, as if Aaron was Emily or JJ or Penelope, stopping by for a longer visit than just dropping off some soup. He cleared his throat, “I didn’t want to intrude. Just dropping this off on my way home.”

Spencer spoke up from the couch, “Your house is on the other side of town. This is a bit out-of-the-way for you.”

He frowned, trying to keep his expression unreadable as Piper smirked at him before walking to the kitchen.  _ What was the smirk for? _ “I told you, Reid, Garcia couldn’t bring it by. She asked me to.”

“Right,” Piper called from the other room. Aaron sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Piper was annoying on a good day, but downright insufferable when she wanted to be. And right now, she was pushing his buttons. 

“I should go,” he started to say, his hand reaching for the door, but he didn’t get to finish as Piper whipped around the corner, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Hotch, if you came to the door expecting this to be smooth, you’re a worse profiler than I thought.” Aaron’s jaw tensed at Piper’s bluntness. “You walked into this, so you should at least wait to see Kass. Sit,” she said, pointing to the couch with a knife. What she needed a knife for was unclear to Aaron, but he wasn’t about to argue. Spencer glanced between the two, shifting the bouquet that had yet to be addressed in his hands. 

“What about me?” Piper pursed her lips at Spencer’s question before sighing.

“Kitchen,” she said miserably. She looked like Aaron did every time he had to go to a mandated therapy session. Spencer stood up, still clutching the flowers as he walked into the kitchen. The only room filled with knives and an angry girlfriend. As it turned out, the knife was for a lemon and fresh basil. “Pen always forgets the lemon and herbs.” Spencer opened his mouth to say something, only to realize that he forgot everything he had prepared in the awkwardness. So, he gave her the one thing he did have prepared. “You didn’t have to bring me flowers,” Piper said quietly. Spencer shrugged.

“Nothing else seemed to be working,” he admitted. “I mean, we haven’t talked since…” Spencer sighed, ruffling his own hair. “I’m an idiot, and I know that. And I made a mistake--”

“You didn’t,” Piper murmured, admiring the flowers. “Unstrapping your vest, it was a sign of trust and submission, and it saved a young woman’s life. And I know it seems like I’m angry with you, but I’m not… really,” she assured him, putting him at ease. “So, when I say that flowers are unnecessary, I mean it. I just… I don’t want to lose you to some deluded, knife-wielding half-wit.” Spencer chuckled softly.

“You really aren’t mad at me?” Spencer asked.  _ No miscommunication _ .

“No, not really,” Piper shrugged. “You were doing your job, and I love you for it.” She narrowed her eyes at the bouquet before smiling slowly. He watched pluck out a scarlet geranium and, with an apologetic grin, held it up to him. “Sorry for being stupid.” He took it and stared at it for a moment.

“What do I do with this?” Piper snickered before pulling out a pair of scissors Kassidy kept in the top drawer. Taking the flower, she snipped the stem in half before tucking it behind Spencer’s ear.

“My pretty boy,” Piper smiled before hearing a giggle from outside. Only  _ she _ could have this kind of timing.

“Deep breaths,” Spencer said, chuckling as he removed the flower from his hair and tucked it into his breast pocket. “I’ll see you at home?” He asked, not needing to specify which of their apartments.

“Yeah, soon as Kass feels better,” Piper confirmed, turning her attention back to the lukewarm soup. Spencer pressed a small kiss to her cheek, and she hummed contentedly, watching him leave for the living room and eventually the front door. He managed to suppress a smile at the sight of Kassidy curled up on the couch, her head leaning on a mortified Hotch’s shoulder. “ _ Help me!” _ he mouthed, but Spencer just pressed a finger to his lips and shouldering his messenger bag, leaving the two together.

Aaron wasn’t sure how he’d ended up in this situation. Kassidy had emerged from her shower, wearing a cute pale pink sleep-shirt with a cat on it, and had settled beside him. She was blushing, stuttering a little, asking him how work was. And then, somewhere in his monologue about David managing to sneak a bottle of whiskey into his office, she had leaned against him. He didn’t mind at first, his heartbeat picking up a little as he tried to figure out what to do with his hands. 

But then she was obviously asleep, her breathing slow and even. Her eyelashes resting against her rosy cheeks, her blonde hair framing her face. And he panicked.

He liked Kassidy, more than he should as her boss. But this was  _ wildly _ inappropriate. He was just supposed to deliver soup, a kind gesture to repay the one she had made for his son. Now she was curled up next to him, almost on top of him, and the longer she was asleep, the more Aaron felt...stuck. But a part of him couldn’t help feeling warm. He didn’t know how else to describe it. He always felt warm when she was around, the day a little brighter when she walked into work, the horrible feeling in his stomach after a bad case settling when she would sit near him instead of the others. His heart was always softer when he thought of her. 

“As heart-warming as this whole thing is,” Piper announced, a warm bowl of soup in her hands, her signature smirk on her face, “Kass needs to get some food down her.” Kassidy mumbled in her sleep, some kind of childish curse aimed at Piper for interrupting. As adorable as she was asleep on his shoulder, Aaron couldn’t help the gnawing worry in his mind.

“Kassidy, when was the last time you ate anything?” He asked, unable to help the inflection of concern in his tone.

“Mm not hungry,” she mumbled slowly, her eyes opening wearily. But then she sniffed, smelling the warm smell of chicken soup. “But that smells good,” she muttered, and Piper didn’t even bother concealing the smile on her lips, especially at Kassidy’s arms held out like a child. Piper settled herself next to Kassidy.

“I should probably go,” Aaron said, trying to ignore how tenderly Kassidy was looking at him. Part of his brain wanted him just to stop talking and stay here forever. “Jack’s probably waiting for me.”

“Yeah, you uh, might wanna burn that jacket,” Piper joked, and Kassidy weakly slapped Piper’s arm.

“Don’t be mean,” she said hoarsely. “He looks good in that jacket.” It was definitely the delirium, Aaron justified in his head. But that didn’t stop the slight blush creeping onto his face.

“Get well soon, Kassidy,” Aaron wished before heading for the door.

“Thanks, Aaron,” Kassidy said tiredly, her eyes half-lidded while Aaron tried to ignore how it felt to hear his name from her lips. He paused at the doorway, his hand hovering over the handle. The urge to say something else was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back, choosing to smile instead. 

And then he was gone, leaning heavily on the other side of her apartment door, staring at the ceiling like some love-struck teenager. His heart was hammering against his chest, the memory of her in his arms at Rossi’s stuck in his head. He almost kissed her then. He almost kissed her when they were alone in Rossi’s kitchen, making plans for a coffee date. One they had yet to go on because of cases, and now sickness (twice). Which brought up the memory of her in his kitchen, her finger twirling in her hair as she nervously spoke with him. He almost kissed her then, too. 

If she wasn’t sick, he was sure he would have kissed her right now too. He ran his hand over his face, trying to sober up his emotions before he returned home. He would need to take a cold shower.

Inside the apartment, Piper was smirking, picking up the spoon from the soup and aiming for Kassidy’s mouth. “Open up,” she instructed. Kassidy wrinkled her nose, “Are you feeding me?”

“Kass, you can hardly keep your eyes open right now. Yes, I’m feeding you. Now open up.” 

Kassidy didn’t argue any further, doing as she was told. She couldn’t taste much, but Penelope’s chicken soup was always delicious, no matter how sick anyone was. She smiled a little to herself, thinking about how her friends were trying to care for her. Emphasis on trying, in Emily’s case. It was still sweet. 

“What are you thinking about?” Piper asked, making sure to scoop a good amount of vegetables for the next bite. Kassidy blinked, opening her mouth again to accept said bite. She hated carrots, her mouth forming a small pout when she tasted one. Piper ignored it, still looking at her expectantly. 

“Was thinking about our family,” Kassidy said slowly after swallowing. She had broken her fever a little while ago, but started to wonder if it was coming back. It was hard to think. Piper nodded, smiling a little, “What about our family?”

“How lucky I am to know all of you guys.”

Piper faltered a little, her smile growing, “Yeah? Well, we’re lucky to have you too, Kassy.”

“No,” Kassidy sighed, leaning back against the couch where Aaron had been sitting before, “I’m just a…” she pursed her lips in thought. Piper made a face, “If you’re about to say something negative about yourself, then save it. Because we are lucky to have you, okay? Now eat this dang soup before it gets cold.”

Kassidy pouted, her eyebrows furrowing. She  _ was  _ going to say something negative about herself-- but how did Piper know? How did Piper seem to know everything? She reluctantly took another bite of the soup, focusing on not spilling any of it on herself. Piper set the bowl down on the coffee table, sighing, “I can see the wheels turning in your head,” she chastised. Kassidy shrugged, “Shouldn’t you be at home with Spencer, instead of taking care of me?”

“He’s a big boy,” she replied, “I’ll be seeing him later. After making sure you’re okay.”

Kassidy crossed her arms over her chest, “But I am okay. Now. And he’s a clingy baby who probably misses you.”

“He is,” Piper agreed with a smile, “and he’ll survive a couple of hours without me. You’re still delirious.”

“Am not,” Kassidy rebuked, “I’m fine.”

“Do you even remember falling asleep on Hotch’s shoulder? When I came in here you were out like a light. On Hotch’s shoulder,” Piper said with emphasis on that last part, her eyebrows raised and a smirk on her lips. Kassidy looked down at her hands, trying to recall, “I… was talking to him. For a minute. Then you came in with the soup--”

“Kassy, sweetie, you’re lucky you didn’t drool on him. You were passed out.”

Kassidy brought her hands to her face, covering her eyes and exhaling through her nose, “Oh loooord,” she whined. Piper laughed, “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think he minded too much. Since you’re sick. And I’m sure he’ll pretend it never happened if you do.”

“But,” Kassidy peeked out between her fingers, glaring at Piper, “I know you won’t ever let this drop, will you?”

Piper shrugged, “I’m not as mean as Emily or Derek,” she said slowly, “But I might save this for a rainy day.”

Kassidy groaned, making Piper laugh again. “Just, finish this dang soup, okay? And then I’ll read a little more to you, and you can go to bed. I’ll leave you alone after that.”

Kassidy nodded, a smile forming even though she’d rather be angry, “Alright, alright. That sounds good.”

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always highly appreciated! <3


	4. Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is sent away on a case that takes them across the country, leaving Reid and Hughes behind. Kassidy starts to doubt her place on the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blame Rucha for the idea of jealous Hotch. But everything else is my fault. LOL.   
> We're getting to some angsty stuff folks! And case talk. So tw for blood and various COD's.

It was Thursday morning, and Kassidy had been back to work for only two days when Strauss came marching into Aaron’s office, a thick stack of manilla folders in her arms. “We have a case,” she informed him, her expression serious, “and it’s a bad one.”

Aaron sighed, pushing his chair back and standing, “I’ll get my team together.”

They all gathered in the conference room, Strauss setting a file down in front of each of them. Inside were images of three murdered women, all different ages, races, and from different cities in the state of Washington. They crossed county lines, so they hadn’t been connected until earlier in the morning, when the Police chief in Seattle made the connections. 

“These women were all homeless,” Strauss informs the team, standing at the head of the table, “so most of them weren’t reported as missing, or even claimed when they were found.”

“What’s the connection?” Derek asked, bringing his eyes up from the images to meet Aaron’s gaze. Strauss spoke before he could, “The way they were killed. All overdosed on heroin, but then the bodies were experimented on.”

Kassidy wanted to ask how, but then again, she didn’t actually want to know. The images were gruesome enough. All of the women had bits of their hair chopped off. One was covered in welts and bruises, like she had been beaten to death. Another was burned, her hands and feet still tied together. And the last was drowned, her skin paper-thin and pale. 

Kassidy covered her mouth with her hand. She would never get used to seeing mutilated bodies.

Spencer didn’t even seem phased, flipping through the images rather quickly before looking over one of the ME’s reports. He furrowed his brow, “This doesn’t look like a heroin overdose. There’s not actually enough in their systems to cause an overdose,” he said slowly. Strauss sighed, readjusting her posture, “That’s why we were called. It’s kind of a mystery how they actually died, since their bodies have been so badly tampered with. Plus,” she held up the remote, turning on the screen behind her. There was a series of codes in what looked like a chatroom. Above the code was a simple message:  _ “Stop me before I kill again.” _

Piper pursed her lips together, sharing a look with Spencer. “Is the code a cipher?” 

Spencer stood up, walking over to the screen with his finger on his chin, his eyes scanning over the various symbols and letters. Everyone was quiet as he stared at it, his focus completely unbroken. 

After a moment he leaned back, exhaling, “Yeah, but I’m not sure what kind. I’ll need some time to work through it. But, I think it’s coordinates. There’s definitely a lot of numbers in here.”

Aaron stood up, tapping his file against the table, “Alright then. Reid, Hughes, you’re going to stay here with Garcia and work on solving the cipher while the rest of us head to Seattle.”

“Me?” Kassidy blinked, taken aback. She wasn’t exactly “solving spooky ciphers” material. 

“No witnesses,” Piper sighed deeply.

“Right,” Aaron agreed, looking at Kassidy, “Plus, I’m sure Garcia will have something for you.”

Kassidy frowned, but nodded anyways. It wasn’t her place to argue, especially with Strauss standing in the same room. Not that she would argue anyways. 

Emily and JJ stood, gathering their files, the latter shooting Kassidy a sympathetic glance, “We’ll see you in a couple days?” She offered. Kassidy gave her a little wave, “Don’t get into trouble, you guys.”

Spencer was still staring at the code, perched slightly on the table, his eyes scanning it impossibly fast. Piper came up next to him, ignoring the glances by Strauss, and wrapped her arm around his waist. “You gonna be okay?” she asked quietly. “Hmm?” He peered down at her, as if just realizing he wasn’t alone in the room. “Oh, right.” He frowned as he realized what she’d asked him, “I don’t see why I couldn’t work on this while in Washington with you.”

“Reid,” Aaron warned as he was turning to leave, “You’ll have the best chances of solving this if you’re here, uninterrupted.” He looked at Piper, “Wheels up in 20. Make your goodbye quick.”

Piper sighed, “You got it, Chief!” Aaron rolled his eyes before leaving the two doctors alone. She stepped back as Spencer narrowed his eyes and smiled, “I think Hotch called you a distraction.”

Taking a step closer to him, she laced her hands around his neck and scoffed, “Only when I want to be.”

He hummed, placing a kiss on her lips, smiling into it, “Which is all the time. Go get your bag. I’ll be fine here, I suppose. All alone.”

She snickered a little and kissed him back, “At least you aren’t stuck with Derek and Emily. Kass and Pen are  _ infinitely _ more bearable.”

“I’ve been stuck with Pen before. Remember the knee?” 

She kissed him on his nose gently, “How could I forget? Must have been so horrible having me cook for you and be around all the time.”

“More like the only advantage,” Spencer retorted, pulling her waist closer to his and tilting his head slightly as he pressed another kiss to her lips.

“Hmmm, that wasn’t the only advantage,” Piper hummed with a grin. “How am I supposed to do 3 days without you?” Spencer shrugged.

“Bet you regret that girl’s night now.”

“I will always regret girl’s night,” Piper said darkly. “Let’s solve this quickly so I can come home sooner, yeah?” Spencer stuck out his pinkie.

“Using every IQ point I’ve got,” he said, smiling. Piper snorted lightly but twisted it anyway, kissing him one last time.

Kassidy had gone back to her desk, sitting in her chair with her legs pulled up underneath her body. She was clicking her pen over and over again, staring at the opened file in front of her. This wasn’t the first time she was left behind on a case, but it was the first time she felt useless about it. Usually, she still had something to do, but with no witnesses, no suspects, no one to interrogate, she was as useless as a third wheel on Piper’s bike. 

Derek came up beside her, ruffling her hair a little, his bag over his shoulder, “Hey kiddo,” he smiled, “Don’t worry about me going into the field with a potential serial killer too much, okay?” She scoffed, trying to hide her smile, “I’ll try not to.”

He leaned his hip against her desk, “For real though, don’t think too hard about being left behind. I’m sure you’ll be able to help Garcia and Pretty Boy out a lot here, okay? You know Hotch always puts us where we’re needed.”

She clicked her pen again, glancing up at him, “Yeah, I know. You go save the day, Der. And stay safe.” He grinned, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her forehead, “Sure thing, princess.”

Rossi stopped by her desk next, kissing her on the cheek, “See you in a couple days,  _ il mio sole. _ Keep in touch.”

“I will, _ babbo _ .” He chuckled, patting her on the shoulder before following Derek to the elevator. Emily and JJ waved their goodbyes next, followed by Piper. And lastly, Aaron paused by her desk as she scribbled some notes on the margins of the first coroner’s report. She glanced up at him, smiling, “Hey, Hotch.”

He smiled back, his go-bag over his shoulder, “Hughes. I just,” he paused, seemingly uncertain of himself. Which was odd, since he always seemed so put-together. She bit her bottom lip, “I know why you’re leaving me behind, it’s okay.”

He blinked at her, then cleared his throat, “Right. Well, see you in a few days.”

“Kass!” Penelope shouted from the hallway, “I need you! Pronto! Trop vite! ASAP!”

She looked back at Aaron, smiling again, “See you in a few days. Stay safe, okay?” She couldn’t quite tell, but it  _ looked  _ like he was blushing, just a little bit. “Will do.” And with that, he followed the rest of the team out of the bullpen. 

Kassidy tapped her pen against her desk before standing, wondering what Penny could possibly need her for. 

\--

Aaron barely paid attention to Emily and Piper trading theory after theory. Derek would interrupt every now and then with something completely out of the blue to ruin their game. “Well, you’ve got the Paget Sound right there,” Emily said, gesturing at the map. “Then there’s Elliot Bay and Lake Sammamish, so Miranda could have been drowned in any three bodies of water.”

“Okay, Reid,” Derek teased. “You got a probability on where?” Emily would have thrown a pen at him if not for JJ’s stern, motherly look.

“So, he’s experimenting with the M.O,” Piper said tiredly. “He’s probably young, 20s to 30s, fit, mobile too. Has to have his own car to travel outside the county line.”

“And he’s challenging us to stop him,” JJ added helpfully. “He’s left a code and a message at each murder.” 

“Is this a game of ‘catch me if you can?’” Emily asked, tapping her pen against the map. Piper shrugged, “That, or it’s an admission of guilt. Maybe he’s begging us to stop him because he can’t?”

Derek narrowed his eyes at Aaron, who was too busy staring at the clouds they were passing by to add anything to the conversation. “Hotch?” Aaron looked up, slightly startled, but he composed himself quickly as the entire team stared at him.

“Right. Morgan, you’re with me, we’ll go see the coroner. Bishop and JJ, work on victimology. Rossi, take Prentiss to the disposal sites.” They all nodded, a concerned look still held in each of their eyes. Hotch never zoned out. Ever. Piper took a spot near the back of the jet with a cup of coffee, her tablet, and a notebook. Emily started to place each disposal site on the map while Derek did his best to examine the bodies from the photo. JJ had started to make calls with major news outlets that were all begging her for a quote. Dave moved to refill his mug of coffee before sliding into a seat in front of Aaron. “What’s wrong?” Hotch looked back at him.

“We’ve got three dead women without a consistent M.O.,” Aaron remarked placidly. “That’s what’s wrong.”

“Or, is it wrong that despite all of the death and bloody murder, you wanna go back for a coffee run?” David asked, a smug smirk on his face. Aaron sighed.

“See, you say things like that and then Bishop starts saying things like that to me. You have to be a better role model, Dave,” he chastised, trying to run away from the fact that Dave, an expert profiler, was obviously right.

“So,” David shrugged his shoulders, “How long has it been since you two agreed on getting coffee? Two weeks?”

Aaron sighed, his cheek resting on his fist as he ignored his friend’s pointed stare. “Something like that.”

“Well, if I’ve learned anything over the years,” David started, clapping his hand on Aaron’s shoulder, “it’s that you don’t keep a lady waiting. That was mistake  _ numero uno _ with wife number three.”

Aaron furrowed his brows, staring intently at the folder in front of him. It wasn’t like he was  _ trying _ to keep Kassidy waiting. Life kept getting in the way. And, once again, something had stopped him from meeting with her. He was on the bureau’s jet, flying to Washington, while she was still in Quantico. A decision he made, because he knew she would feel like she was in the way if she came along, and he hated when she felt out-of-place among the team. But now, he was kind of wishing he had asked her along anyhow. Coffee over images of deceased women wasn’t exactly what he had wanted, but it would have been better than nothing. 

Dave sighed, leaning back in his seat to get comfortable, “Don’t worry too much about it, Aaron. She’s still going to be there when we get back.”

Aaron couldn’t help but worry. Just a little bit. 

\--

The team arrived in Seattle around 1:00pm, leaving the tarmac the moment they landed and heading to their respective assignments. Aaron and Derek arrived at the coroner’s in record time (thanks to Derek’s driving, that Aaron was very tempted to say something about but chose not to). 

The entire time he was speaking with the ME, he noticed Derek looking at his phone in the corner of his eye. After the third time catching Derek texting, Aaron sighed, giving him a pointed look, “Morgan? Did you hear anything we’ve been talking about?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression set in stone. Derek glanced up at him, “Hmm? Oh, yeah. I noticed the ligature marks,” he motioned to the body closest to him: Miranda Jacobson. “All three bodies have the marks. Plus the cutting to their abdomen’s, and on the wrists and ankles.”

Aaron furrowed his brow, “Can I ask why you’re texting while we’re supposed to be examining the bodies?”

Derek peered down at his phone as another text came in, sighing. “Kass has been messaging me,” he explained. “Reid and Garcia don’t need her for anything right now, so she’s been feeling pretty useless. She’s just venting to me.” 

The stern persona of the BAU’s leader faltered a little. Aaron felt his shoulders tense, his jaw setting. That wasn’t his intention when he left Kassidy behind. That was actually the very thing he was trying to avoid. He cleared his throat, “How long has she been texting you?”

Derek raised his eyebrows before peering back down at his phone, “Uh, since we got off the plane. Garcia kicked her out of her tech cave. Not to be mean, but because she and Reid needed to focus on the code.”

The urge to check his own phone was strong, but he resisted. He hadn’t heard or felt it go off, so he was sure Kassidy hadn’t messaged him. Not that she would anyway, because he wasn’t close with her like the rest of the team were. He wasn’t a friend that she could reach out to and talk about her feelings, her frustrations.  _ He wanted to be. _

Eventually, after turning his full attention back to the ME (and telling Derek to text on his own time), the two had enough evidence to link the three bodies together for sure. They at least had something to work with. 

It was nearing 3pm by the time the team convened at the local PD. They were given a room to work in, all of them looking rather tired and worn out already. Aaron was standing near the doorway with an open file in his hands, yet he wasn’t retaining any of the information.  _ Should he text Kassidy? _

“What’s up, Mama?” Derek said with a grin as the tablet came to life with Penelope’s face front and center. 

_ “Technically, my baby genius is the one with something for you guys,” _ Penelope sighed deeply, rolling her chair back to give Spencer full camera access.

_ “Okay, so the unsub definitely used some kind of emotional formula, not a mathematical one. There’s almost no logic to why certain numbers are used over others.” _

“Do you think the numbers are coordinates?” Piper asked, locking eyes with Spencer through the screen. He gave a half-hearted shrug,  _ “I won’t know until I sort them out better. It shouldn’t take me too much longer, though. I’m starting to understand the method a little.” _

“We know the victimology is all over the place,” Emily announced. “But is there  _ any _ connection between our victims?”

“They were all homeless,” JJ answered. “All found by the side of the road in different counties, but still near Seattle.”

“Do we think this is a civil service murder?” Derek asked. “He’s cleaning up the streets.”

“There are cleaner ways to do it,” Piper remarked, swirling a spoon through her third cup of coffee. “He used a knife instead of a gun. And fire. And water. And rocks too, from the looks of it,” she added, glancing at the updated ME’s report that Aaron and Derek brought with them to the office.

“So what, we’re dealing with a wanna-be Avatar?” Dave retorted.

“Or someone with a God-complex,” Piper said with a snicker.

“He’s narcissistic enough to challenge law enforcement,” Emily added. “Stop me before I kill again.”

“Again, I think he’s saying ‘catch me if you can’,” Derek said. “He could be taunting us. The counter-measures he’s been taking with where and how he dumps the bodies means he’s organized. The various degrees of torture points to sadism.”

“He’s definitely mobile,” Dave added. “He managed to drown a victim and then dump her body where there wasn’t any water.”

“Right on the outskirts of Seattle,” Piper murmured, stepping closer to the map. “He kills homeless women who depend on drug distribution, prostitution, and other unpalatable affairs and then dumps them outside the city. He’s literally purging the city and challenging us to stop him.”

_ “I hate public service serial killers,”  _ Penelope said through the screen, her face popping up besides Spencer’s. Derek sighed, “Me too, mama.” He glanced over at Aaron, who had yet to drag his eyes away from his file, his expression unreadable. 

_ “I brought you guys some- oh are you on video call?” _ Kassidy’s voice came through the screen, Spencer looking over his shoulder. “Hi Kassy,” Emily said, waving when Kassidy popped up, pushing Spencer aside-- he definitely pouted-- smiling, _ “Hey everyone!” _

It did not go unnoticed by Piper or Derek how Aaron was suddenly looking at the tablet-- the thing he had been ignoring up until this point. He didn’t say anything, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards _ just a little _ . 

Piper leaned forward, sipping from her coffee, “I think we should focus on trying to crack the cipher. If it is a series of coordinates, then maybe it could show us where the unsub is? Or lead us to some kind of clue.”

Kassidy allowed Penelope back in front of the call, stepping away and handing a paper bag to Spencer (who lit up when he looked inside, and Piper immediately knew there was a chocolate donut waiting for him inside that bag).  _ “We’re working on it, oh queen of badassery. We’ll call you back when we have something! Ciao!” _ With that, the screen went dark. 

Emily snickered, “Queen of badassery?”

Piper sighed, “That’s better than ‘princess of cupcakes,’ or something.”

\--

Kassidy was at her desk again, having finished any and all paperwork she could get her hands on an hour ago. She swiveled in her chair, staring down at her phone. Derek had gotten in trouble for texting her back, and she felt bad, so she hadn’t texted anyone since. Even though she could really use a Piper pep-talk (A Piper-talk? A Pepper-talk?). 

Spencer was up in the conference room with Penelope, the two talking about the mysterious cipher that was just turning into a series of random numbers. She wanted to help, but numbers weren’t really her strong suit. Actually, nothing about this case required her particular skill-set whatsoever. 

She kicked the corner of her desk, bored, feeling useless. Unfortunately, because of the three women being homeless with no close family, there was nobody to interview. And anyone who could have been was already talked to by the local police. 

She heard Spencer shout something, hopefully in triumph? Glancing at the conference room she could see him holding his phone to his ear. He was smiling, so he must have cracked the code. It was about 8pm here at home, so 5pm in Seattle. They were making good time, it seemed. 

_ Without her. Did the team really ever need her? _

Penelope appeared at her side, a broad smile on her face, “Hey, Sunshine! 187 got the coordinates, so we’re going to get some chinese to celebrate in a little bit! You wanna come?”

Kassidy managed a smile, but shook her head, “No, actually. I think I’m going to go home for the night. There’s not much I can do here, you know?”

Penelope frowned, “Well, alright. But the invite is still there, okay? Just text me if you wanna come out. We’re probably leaving in an hour.”

Kassidy nodded, “Will do, thanks, Penny.”

She watched Penelope hurry back to the round table, Spencer hanging up the phone and smiling at her. It was fun watching them work together.

She couldn’t stop herself from shooting a quick text to Derek. 

**Sunshine:** _ Hope you catch the guy tonight, now that you have the coords. Don’t do anything stupid. <3 _

**Der-Bear:** _ We hope so too. And have I ever done anything stupid? _

She smiled at his text before putting her phone away and gathering her things. Since she was getting out of the office so early, she might as well take advantage of the extra sleep she would be getting. 

States away, three hours behind them, Derek was suiting up in his Kevlar vest alongside Emily and Piper. He chuckled at his phone before sliding it into his pocket, gaining an arched eyebrow from Piper. “Who’re you texting?”

“Kassidy,” he said, adjusting the straps of his vest. She blinked in surprise, “Really?”

“Yeah. What, I can’t text our resident Sunshine?”

“No, I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just didn’t know you two texted.”

He sighed, leaning against the SUV, “Reid and Garcia are a couple of very intense nerds when they’re working together. They get into this ‘zone,’ that doesn’t allow for anyone else to be a part of whatever they’re doing, you know? I know they didn’t mean to exclude her, but she was feeling kind of like extra baggage. So she was venting to me, that’s all.” 

Piper frowned, “She usually messages me when she’s upset.” Derek could read the look of betrayal behind her eyes, even though she was trying to hide it. He understood that look completely, and wanted to douse any fears Piper might have cropping up in the back of her mind. 

“Ah, but you’ve been on your phone all day with your pretty boy,” he pointed out. Piper’s frown deepened a little as she crossed her arms over her chest, “So?”

Emily tilted her head in the direction of Aaron and Dave standing nearby, “Don’t wanna interrupt, but I think we’re all ready to go.”

“Right,” Piper said, grabbing her helmet and putting it under her arm. “Guess I’m leading you guys. Let’s hope there’s a very willing unsub who wants to be arrested where we’re going.”

The coordinates led to a warehouse on Alaskan Way, right on the edge of Elliot Bay, not more than 4 minutes from the FBI field office. Piper made the trip in two, her bike allowing her to weave through traffic and avoid red lights. She waited patiently for cars to roll up behind her before they started their raid, SWAT covering the back entrance. But it really was just an empty warehouse. Derek arched an eyebrow, looking around while the SWAT team grumbled about ‘a fucking waste of time’. Piper pulled out her penlight, mirroring Emily and they surveyed the walls. “No message,” Emily sighed.

“Maybe Reid got the wrong coordinates,” Dave offered.

“I doubt it,” Piper supplied. “He said there was some kind of emotional formula, not a logical one. His math was right, but he tried to solve a non-existent equation.”

“The numbers mean something to the unsub,” Derek realized as they stood in shrouded darkness. Aaron tried hard to not look crushed, but it wasn’t working. David wasn’t the only one who noticed the defeated look in their unit chief’s eyes. With a sigh, he decided it was time to get back to the hotel, get some sleep. Hopefully a fresh start the next morning would help them see whatever it was they missed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! <3


	5. Late Night Phone-Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team narrows down their search for the unsub.  
> Aaron calls Kassidy in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real notes beside some case-related TW's I guess. It's nothing bad, I promise! <3

Spencer let his phone clatter on the roundtable, returning to stare at the numbers. He ran a hand through his hair. There’d be another dead body in the morning because he had  _ failed. _ The phone rang out once, but he ignored it, opting to stare at the numbers. It buzzed again and, irritated, he picked it up, answering bitterly. “Dr. Reid.”

_ “Hi,” _ Piper greeted him, her voice untangling the knot between his shoulder blades. Her voice sounded tired and he could imagine her dumping her things in the hotel room. More than anything, he wished he was in Seattle, curled up in her arms.  _ “You have anything to eat yet?” _

“Yeah,” he lied, trying not to worry her.

_ “Liar,” _ Piper retorted. She knew him better than that.  _ “You did the best you could. But your brain needs energy from food.” _ Spencer was silent, hanging his head defeatedly.

“I couldn’t crack it,” he sighed. 

_ “It happens, Spence. Maybe it isn’t math. Maybe it’s just emotional. You can’t beat yourself up about it.”  _ Spencer scrunched his nose in confusion.

“That’s physically impossible,” he countered. “Your survival instincts stop you from doing that.” He heard her laugh despite herself. 

_ “Physically, yes. Mentally? Not so much. You wanna talk me through the process?” _ He pretended not to hear her yawn.

“I’ve tried every kind of cipher that’s ever been cracked. The problem is that cryptograms are usually words but these are just numbers. I’ve converted them into Matrix codes, I’ve tried using substitution and nothing’s working.”

“ _ Mmmm _ ,” Piper hummed softly. “ _ That sounds...smart. _ ” Her voice was drowsy, as though she’d curled herself up into an armchair. Spencer rolled his shoulders, just as worn out. 

“Pipes?” he asked gently, trying not to wake her if she had indeed fallen asleep. Her lack of answer seemed to be proof enough, and he chuckled slightly. “Goodnight,” he murmured, hanging up.

Penelope had called Kassidy about 45 minutes ago, informing her of the not-so-good-bust that had occurred.  _ “We’re not going out for food, after all,”  _ she sighed.  _ “Reid is really beating himself up. And you’re really good at cheering him up?”  _ The unasked question made Kassidy smile as she stood from her couch where she was reading. She slipped her shoes on, her phone still to her ear, “Alright, Pen. What would you like from that little Chinese place you like so much?”

Now, 45 minutes later, after delivering Penelope’s food to her lair, she was peeking into the conference room. Spencer was standing with his back to her, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the numbers he had written on the whiteboard. She could practically hear the whirring of his mind from the doorway.

“Spence?”

He flinched, turning to look at her. It took a second longer than normal for his eyes to light up in recognition, “Oh, hey Kass. What are you doing back here?”

She walked into the room, holding up two bags, “I brought some food.”

He couldn’t fight back his smile, “Did Piper put you up to this?”

“No, Penny.” 

“Ah.” 

She set the bags down and started pulling out small boxes, making sure to grin at him as she held out a plastic fork, “For you, Doctor.” He made a face, taking it from her reluctantly, “Why do you only use my honorific when you’re teasing me?”

She shrugged, pulling out a chair and sitting with her own food, “I dunno. It’s weird calling you Dr. Reid. Cause you’re just Spencer to me.” He smiled at her, rolling his eyes. 

Spencer took the seat beside her, poking at the food with his fork. She took a bite of hers, watching how his eyes unfocused, the thoughts in his mind a secret to her. “I hope you intend on eating that,” she pointed at his food with her chopstick, “cause I spent like, a lot of money on all this dinner.”

Spencer glanced at her, “You did?”

“No. But still,” Kassidy replied with a shrug. He smirked a little at her, “Is that a hint of sass I’m getting from you? I think you’re around Derek too much.” He finally took a bite of his food as she giggled, “Maybe.”

The two ate in silence, for the most part, Spencer continuously glancing at the whiteboard between bites. Kassidy watched him intently, tilting her head a little when she noticed his mouth moving, like he was talking to himself. Piper did that too sometimes, when she was super-duper focused on something. It must have been a super genius thing. 

At the bottom of the bag were two fortune cookies. Kassidy had to toss one at Spencer’s head, since he wasn’t paying attention to her. He frowned at the cookie as it landed on the table before him. “What’s this?”

“A fortune cookie,” she explained, cracking hers open, “duh.”

“I know what a fortune cookie is,” he sighed, picking it up.

“Then open it and read your fortune,” she instructed with a sharp nod. She took out her slip of paper and giggled,  _ “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule,”  _ she read. She then nodded as she popped a piece of the cookie in her mouth, “I like that fortune. I might use this one as a bookmark. 

Spencer smiled a little and cracked into his, pulling out the little paper. He cleared his throat before reading aloud,  _ “Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.” _

Kassidy hummed a little as she ate the remaining bits of her cookie, “These both sound like Buddhist sayings.”

Spencer nodded, “They are.” He glanced at her, “You’re familiar with Buddhist readings?”

She shook her head, “Not really. I just wrote a lot of Buddhist quotes in my notebooks when I was in college. They helped me through some dark times,” she said with a smile. He seemed to be studying her for a moment before looking back at his fortune. She continued, “My mom tried to make me go to church when I was a kid. I mean, she didn’t even like church, so we only went a few times. She did force me to read the Bible though-”

“That’s it!” Spencer stood up so quickly he knocked his chair backward, making Kassidy jump. He hurried to the whiteboard and started writing the numbers out again, this time with colons between some of them. His eyes scanned them over a few times before he took a step away, the marker still in his hand. 

Kassidy blinked, realization coming over her features. “Oh,” she breathed, “They aren’t coordinates. They’re bible verses!”

“Right,” Spencer said, turning to look at her, “now we just need to figure out which ones.”

\--

Piper rolled over in her bed, unused to the emptiness, blindly feeling for her phone. “What the hell?” she muttered. She hadn’t read the number on the screen, answering bitterly.

_ “They aren’t coordinates,”  _ Spencer said quickly.  _ “They’re Bible verses.” _ Piper raised a hand to her forehead, grumbling slightly. It was 2 am and she did not have the energy.

“Great, can I go back to bed now?” Piper asked sleepily.

_ “Tammy Pearson was burned to death and the code on top referred to Jude 12:3. Pipes, we cracked it!” _ Piper _ wanted _ to be excited. But she also wanted to go back to sleep. “This can’t wait until morning?” She mumbled into the phone, rolling onto her back with an arm thrown over her eyes. 

_ “If we wait too long, another body might show up. Kassidy is calling Hotch right now, and then I was going to call Derek--” _

Then again, she would have woken up in only 3 hours anyway.

“Okay, I’m up,” she murmured, rising from her bed and grabbing a change of clothes. “You have a way with words, Doc.”

The team had gathered in the hotel lobby, each of them looking just as bedraggled and sleepy as the others. Derek’s eyes were barely open. David was leaning his cheek on his fist and he was definitely dozing. Emily’s hair was anything but straight and JJ looked like she was about to fall over. It wasn’t until Aaron walked downstairs in his pajamas that they all woke up enough to stare at him. 

Piper was writing out the code and its biblical references on a notepad quietly, ignoring him while Derek failed to come with a snarky comment. “Okay class,” Piper addressed. “Each of our victims has done something wrong according to ‘God’--” she made air quotes in her frustration -- “And this guy’s punishing them for it.” She passed the pad to Aaron who blinked slowly before taking in the verses.

“They directly contradict each other,” he remarked, taking a seat. “Look, Proverbs 24:11 - Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, hold them back. But then right next to it, Leviticus 21:9 - If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.”

“Seriously?” JJ asked. “Another one?” Each of them seemed to know exactly what JJ was referring to, and how traumatic the  _ last one _ had been. Rossi, on the other hand, looked absolutely lost. Aaron sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he rested his cheek against his fist. It had been years, and yet the images were still fresh in his mind-- in all of their minds. 

Emily cleared her throat, speaking for the first time since they all gathered, “I guess it’s good Reid stayed in Quantico.”

Derek nodded solemnly, peering down at his phone as a text came through. Aaron cracked open one eye to see him replying to the text, and his stomach churned at the idea that it was Kassidy he was messaging. It was 5am at home, what was she still doing up?

“We had a case,” Piper said slowly when she locked eyes with David, “and um, the unsub had DID. He had three personalities.”

David clicked his tongue in acknowledgment, “Right. I recall reading up on it. Okay, so you’re all suggesting we have something similar on our hands here?”

“Kinda looks like it,” JJ replied with a shrug. “I think we have someone who wants us to catch him, not because he’s taunting us, but because he knows his other personality will keep killing if we don’t.”

Aaron exhaled through his nose before sitting up, “Alright. Everyone’s exhausted, and there’s not much we can actually do until morning--”

“It is morning,” Piper mumbled.

“--so everyone should go back to bed. Get a couple more hours of sleep, and then we’ll deliver the profile first thing.” Aaron gave Piper a look, who only shrugged when he finished. Derek groaned as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head, “Sounds good to me, boss.”

The team slowly filed back to their rooms, leaving Aaron and David sitting in the lobby. Aaron had closed his eyes again, the notebook balanced on his lap. David sighed, loudly enough to wake the dead, Aaron figured as he cracked open his eyes to glare at him. “Yes?”

David shrugged, but he was looking right at him. “You weren’t sleeping.” It wasn’t a question. Aaron arched an eyebrow, “I didn’t ask for your medical opinion.” David put his hands up in surrender as he stood, “I’m just looking out for you, Aaron. You need to get at least a couple hours of sleep tonight. Did you try tea?”

Aaron huffed, picking up the notebook and standing, “Night, Dave.”

“Alright, I see when I’m not wanted.” David left it at that, for now. Aaron was certain another pep-talk was waiting for him when they got on the jet to go home. 

But 20 minutes later as he was lying in bed, his eyes still open and staring at the ceiling, he started to wonder if maybe he should have asked Dave for any other suggestions besides tea. He couldn’t sleep, and he’d like to think it was just because of his insomnia, but he knew better. 

It was because he couldn’t stop thinking about Kassidy. About how he had inadvertently made her feel useless on this case. How she was texting Derek about it-- not him. The whole team was so close to each other-- and he was thankful for that-- but in moments like these, where he was alone and wide awake at 2:30 in the morning, it made him painfully aware of how alone he really was. 

It was probably the delirium from his exhausted mind, or the fear of falling asleep alone (like every night in the past three years), but he found his phone in his hand, a familiar number pulled up. It didn’t quite register with his conscious mind until he heard the ringing on the line that he had made a mistake. But before he could hang up, he heard her soft voice on the other side,  _ “Hello? Hotch? Everything okay?” _

He swallowed, blinking in the darkness of his bedroom, feeling more awake now than he had moments before. And foolish. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

He could hear her hum, shifting the phone so she could hold it better. She was probably on her couch, he realized. She sounded more awake than she should have been. 

_ “Are you sure? You don’t sound so sure.” _

He let out a breathy laugh, his hand covering his face as he felt his blush creep up his neck, “Yeah, yeah. I just… couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. He didn’t even know why he was telling her this. Exhaustion?

She was silent for a moment before she spoke again,  _ “And you called me?” _

_ Fuck, he made a mistake.  _ He cleared his throat, closing his eyes, “I uh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called--”

_ “No, it’s okay. I was just making sure you meant to call me, and not like, Jessica or something,”  _ she spoke a little too quickly, her voice rising an octave. He rolled over onto his side, staring out the window. He should just apologize for bothering her and wish her a goodnight, but he couldn’t bring himself to. She spoke again, her voice quieter this time,  _ “Do you know what I do when I can’t sleep?” _

“Hmm?”

_ “I like to listen to music. Soft music, like the calm stuff from Disney movies? I really like the piano version of that one song from  _ Anastasia--  _ I know it’s not Disney, but still,”  _ she added quickly, rustling a little on the other end of the phone _. “And then when I’m listening, I just close my eyes and imagine my body relaxing. You know, like start with your toes and work your way up. My shoulders are the hardest thing to relax,”  _ she mused, almost whispering into the phone, like she was afraid of waking someone up. He was smiling, listening to her talk. “Oh yeah? Maybe I should try that. The song, it’s _ Once Upon a December _ , right?”

He heard her giggle, and decided he really wanted to hear it more,  _ “Yeah, that’s the one. I can have Penny put it on your iPod for you when you guys get home?” _

“I’d like that.” He meant it, even though he hadn’t seen that movie in years, let alone thought about listening to its soundtrack. They fell into silence, but it wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable. He could hear her rustle some papers and click off a light. 

“I’ll let you go. Sorry for calling at this hour.”

_ “Don’t be. I like talking to you.” _

There wasn’t anyone in the room with him, so he didn’t need to hide his face under his hand, but he did so anyway, trying to fight his sleep-deprived smile. She hummed again before continuing,  _ “But, you probably should go. To sleep, I mean. You have a bad guy to catch in the morning, and you gotta feel your best to do that, right?” _

God, she was so cute. Sometimes he wondered how she was friends with Piper and Derek with their more vulgar vocabulary. It made it even more of a mystery as to why she had chosen this profession. Fighting the “bad guys” all the time had certainly worn on everyone, chipping bits of themselves away of the years. Garcia managed to make herself feel human by decorating her space in color, putting a screen between herself and the horrors that he and the rest of the team had to see face-to-face. 

He hoped Kassidy would never have to feel like he did on most days. Numb to it all. 

“Right. Isn’t it like, almost 6am there? Shouldn’t you have been in bed hours ago, Hughes?”

She giggled again,  _ “Couldn’t sleep either. I was reading.” _

“Well, you should also get some sleep then.”

_ “Is that an order from my boss, or a suggestion from my friend?”  _ He had never heard her say something so bold before, and it made a lump form in his throat. He couldn’t hold back his smirk, “Both. Have a good night, Hughes.”

_ “Kassidy, remember? Outside of work.” _

He swallowed, trying not to let his breathing sound too strained over the phone. How did she have such a hold on him with just her name? “Good night, Kassidy,” he said slowly, his eyes closed. 

_ “Night, Aaron.” _

He actually got some sleep before his alarm went off. 

\--

Once their profile was accurate, putting together a plan to catch their unsub became  _ so much _ easier. 

Derek and Emily were focusing on how their unsub met each of their victims. Rossi focused on the very first victim with Piper, running through her entire life. Penelope was searching for relatives, coming up empty in the state of Washington. And while she focused on the closest people to the team, Kassidy couldn’t help but leaf through the names of said relatives. “Hey, has anyone called these people to let them know?”

“JJ’s going to get around to it,” Penelope sighed. “She’s kind of being suffocated by all the media outlets, from local to regional.”

“Would she mind if I did it?” Kassidy asked, and Penelope shrugged.

“I don’t think so,” Penelope said.

Kassidy left the tech case with the list in her hand, sitting at her desk and reaching for her phone. At the top of the list was the first victim’s mother, and only living relative, by the looks of it. She listened to the line ring twice before someone answered,  _ “Hello?” _

“Hi, Ms. Pearson?”

_ “Yes? May I ask who’s calling?” _

Kassidy leaned forward, her elbows on her desk, “My name is Special Agent Kassidy Hughes, and I work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI. I was calling to inform you about your daughter, Tammy--”

_ “I already know,” _ Ms. Pearson snapped,  _ “You FBI people already called me two days ago about this. And I’m not in the mood to continue discussing my drug addicted runaway of a daughter.” _

Kassidy bit her lip, steeling herself with a deep breath. “Ms. Pearson, I know this is really hard for you. I didn’t mean to cause any distress or harm, I just wanted to make sure everyone who loved Tammy was informed of her passing.”

There was a silence on the line. Kassidy shifted in her seat, “Ms. Pearson?”

_ “I did love her, you know. She didn’t seem to think so. She was always getting into trouble, even as a kid.” _

Kassidy nodded, even though she knew Ms. Pearson couldn’t see.  _ “She ran away three years ago with some boy. I told her that I didn’t trust him. I guess I was right not to trust him.” _

“A boy?” Kassidy asked, reaching for her notepad and a pen, “I haven’t seen anything in my notes about her having a boyfriend or husband.”

Ms. Pearson sighed,  _ “That’s because I didn’t tell anyone about him. I always thought she would come home. Then the last agent I spoke to wouldn’t even listen to me.”  _ Kassidy made a mental note to inform Aaron about that. Whoever spoke to her last was clearly unprofessional. 

“Ms. Pearson, do you remember this boy's name?”

She was quiet for a moment, contemplating.  _ “Yes, I think I do. Michael something. King? That sounds right. Yeah, Michael King.” _

Kassidy quickly wrote the name down, underlining it once, “Was Michael a religious man?”

She could hear the shocked gasp from Ms. Pearson,  _ “Why yes, he was. But, in a weird way. He didn’t go to church, but he would preach about sinners all the time, and quoted the bible almost every time we spoke. But something was off about him, like he was always high. A real hypocrite, that boy.” _

Kassidy couldn’t contain her smile, “Thank you so much, Ms. Pearson. You’ve helped me out a lot. Would you, um, like me to call you again when we find who hurt your daughter?”

Ms. Pearson laughed softly,  _ “Actually, yes. I’d like to know that she got her justice.” _

“Of course, Ms. Pearson. Thank you, again. Have a good day.”

Once she hung up, Kassidy was out of her chair and bolting to Penelope’s Batcave. She didn’t even give her friend the chance to greet her before she slapped the scrap of paper with Michael’s name on it down on the desk, “Penny, can you look this man up for me? I wanna know everything there is to know about him.”

Penelope grinned, “Sure thing, Sunshine! I’ve been dying for something to do.” She started typing away, navigating various screens and text boxes. Before long a Washington state driver’s license popped up, showing the 28-year-old man named Michael King. Along with various medical notes about his past history with mental illness, and a social media presence that dropped off the face of the earth two weeks ago: the date of the first death, Tammy Pearson. 

Kassidy couldn’t contain herself, pulling out her phone and pressing on the first contact. After the first ring she heard,  _ “Hotchner.” _

“Hotch!” She was grinning, “I know who your unsub is!”

\--

The takedown was fairly quick and easy. Michael King was more than grateful, sobbing tears of joy as Piper handcuffed him. “Thank you,” he cried, “thank you for stopping me. God wanted me to continue punishing the wicked, but I couldn’t do it. I’m not strong enough.” Piper pitied him, pushing him into the back of the police cruiser. After she shut the door, she saw the switch flash in his eyes, his expression changing from one of relief to one of anger. Thankfully there was a metal door between her and him now, for she didn’t really want to know what he would do to her if there wasn’t. 

Derek clapped her on the shoulder, “Good job, Pipes. I am so ready to go home, are you?”

“Yes,” she breathed, running a hand through her hair, “I just want to sleep in my own bed. And not have to think about God himself being someone’s second personality.”

Emily scoffed as she approached them, the flashing lights of the police cars bouncing off her frame, “Please, we all know God is a woman.”

Piper mirrored Emily’s grin, “If there is one.”

Derek shook his head, “I am not in the mood for this debate tonight. I want to go home, take a shower, and sleep all day tomorrow.”

“Honestly,” Emily stifled a yawn, “me too.”

David smirked from where he was leaning against an SUV, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched Piper playfully shove Derek toward his SUV, making Emily laugh. Aaron came up beside him, the circles under his eyes more prominent than only a few hours earlier. “Ready to go home?” He asked. Aaron nodded, opening the driver’s side door, “Yes.”

David circled the vehicle and climbed into the passenger side. Once he slammed the door shut, he glanced at Aaron again, “You going to ask her out for coffee finally?”

Aaron sighed, running a hand through his hair. He needed a shower. “I just want to focus on getting home in one piece right now. And seeing Jack.”

“Alright,” David looked out the window, “fair enough.” 

Truthfully, Aaron planned on texting Kassidy once they were on the jet, asking her if she would go for coffee in the morning. Tomorrow was Saturday, so if they were lucky enough to have the weekend free of serial killers, nothing should interrupt them this time. It would have been just over two weeks since they made plans to get coffee. He was determined not to put it off too much longer. Not after her help with the case, or the way she spoke to him on the phone. 

He didn’t really know what he wanted when it came to her, but he wanted something  _ more _ than whatever they had going on right now. And the first step was to finally go on that coffee date. 

But life is often cruel, as he found out when driving up to his home at 2:00 in the morning, the jet having landed only half an hour ago. He trudged inside, dropping his bag by the door, and collapsed in bed without changing. He had slept on the jet, the entire way home, and forgot to text her. 

So, he’d have to ask her in the morning. After he allowed his exhaustion to wash over him, finally feeling tired enough to get a decent 8 hours of sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	6. A Date Two Months in the Works

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team tries something a little devious to force Aaron and Kassidy to *finally* go on their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter folks! Thanks for tagging along <3 And thank you again, Rucha, for helping me with this fun little fic. I enjoyed working on it so much!

He never got the chance to ask her. Things kept cropping up. Such as the life of an agent, he supposed. Before they knew it, another week had passed, and the idea of going out for coffee was on the backburner. It just wasn’t meant to be right now. 

It didn’t stop the glances and shared smiles. It didn’t escape his notice how Dave would eye him when he would greet her every morning, her cheeks tinting pink when their eyes would meet. It was something, at least.

“I’m getting sick of this,” Emily complained, turning from the coffee pot to the rest of the team surrounding the breakroom’s kitchen island. Piper was perched on the counter beside her, an amused smile on her face as she glanced at the empty desk Kassidy would walk to in 20 minutes, then to the muted blinds which obscured a view of Aaron Hotchner. 

“They agreed for coffee a month ago,” Emily exclaimed. Derek was leaning on the back of Penelope’s chair, barely inches from each other. Spencer had no such reservations, an arm casually resting over Piper’s shoulders.

“It’s not that ridiculous,” Penelope voiced, “We had to watch these two tiptoe around each other for years.” She gestured at Spencer and Piper with her pinkie, making Dave chuckle slightly.

“Yeah, and they probably still would have if not for Anthrax, did you think of that?” Emily countered. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her brow furrowed in frustration. 

“Are you suggesting we give one of them anthrax?” Piper asked with a snicker before draining the last of her chai latte.

“And I would’ve said something eventually,” Spencer protested, pouting slightly.

“No, you wouldn’t have,” Piper muttered in sync with Penelope and Emily, making the boys chuckle.

“Emily’s right,” David acceded, “They need a push, if nothing else.”

They spent the entire next week trying,  _ and failing, _ to push their unit chief and resident sunshine together. Forcing them to sit together in the conference room (which only led to them talking, but nothing more). Asking them both to go on coffee runs (one time Piper swore they were finally about to go on their date, but Kassidy got that look of panic in her eyes and excused herself). Derek tried teasing one of them at a time,  _ constantly. _

Nothing seemed to work. 

Aaron would have a last-minute budget meeting when Kassidy was free. Kassidy would have a brunch hang out with old friends when Aaron was free. Jack would have soccer practice when Kassidy had finished her paperwork early. Cookie would need a vet appointment when Aaron finally had a free schedule. 

“This is hopeless,” Piper sighed, collapsing face-first onto her desk. Penelope was squeezing her shoulder. 

“This is karma,” Derek countered, pointing to her. “‘Will they, won’t they’ sucks and you deserve to know how it feels.” She looked up only to glare at him.

“I may or may not have an idea,” Penelope piped up, looking at each one of them. “But I’m gonna need your help.” 

When Aaron eventually emerged from the office, massaging the crick in his neck as he attempted to leave for his lunch break, he instinctively looked to Kassidy’s empty seat. Naturally, Bishop and Reid were missing, probably out together at a nearby restaurant. But why Emily was still in the bullpen was a mystery. “No lunch break today, Prentiss?”  _ Cue the pretense. _

“I would’ve gone with Kass, but apparently she’s reconnecting with an ex-boyfriend at the cafe, so, I’m alone.” Aaron nodded, his jaw clenching. He’d been too late. Just like Rossi had warned. 

\--

“You two are terrible at lying,” Kassidy complained as Piper and Spencer dragged her into the cafe. Piper looked amazing, as always. Her hair was clipped back, olive-shaped earrings dangling from her ears. Her geometric top looked comfy, part of it tucked into a brown belt with a gold circular buckle. The sleeves were pulled back, revealing her faint scars which didn’t seem to bother her anymore. Her brown eyes glanced around before looking at her watch. “That’s because we stopped hiding it after we got to the elevator. You’re having your coffee date in 10 minutes.”

“What?” Kassidy’s eyes grew owlishly wide, blinking in surprise as she looked from Piper to Spencer. She stuttered, “I- what?” Piper just made a face at her as she looked down to her own outfit. “I’m-I’m not ready.” She tugged at the white sleeves of her ruffled blouse, suddenly hyper-aware of the small hole forming by her elbow on the right arm. Her hands flew downwards as she attempted to smooth down her pale pink and white patterned flowy skirt.

“And if this doesn’t happen now, you never will be,” Spencer said calmly, flagging down a waiter. She watched him order two coffees, a muffin, and a sub sandwich to go. Piper was on her phone, no doubt in touch with Penelope.

“Okay, Pen has tracked your cell, she’s giving me live updates.” 

“ETA?” Spencer asked, gratefully accepting the warm goods. 

“Oh, he’s definitely speeding. ETA 5 minutes,” Piper said, accepting her sandwich. “What did you order?”

“Your favorite,” Spencer said, smiling.

“You spoil me,” Piper murmured, barely needing to put any effort into flirting. “Okay, he’s 2 minutes away. I’m gonna get the car ready.” She pecked his cheek instinctively before leaving with her coffee and sandwich. Spencer blushed slightly before turning to Kassidy.

“Okay, remember to breathe. Technically, you’ve been preparing for this for 2 months.” Kassidy bit her bottom lip, turning it a tint of red that matched her cheeks, “I-um, okay? I just, I’m not sure about this, Spence.” His smile was soft, kindness radiating from his eyes, “You’re going to be fine. Just, deep breaths, and relax. Be yourself. You’re good at that.”

She swallowed, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her thumbs running over the material over and over again. “But, I just- I feel like I need time to prepare myself? To be myself?” She tried to laugh, to relax, but she sounded strained. Spencer sighed, “I know, I’m sorry. Honestly, this wasn’t my idea, but if we didn’t push you two then you’d be dancing around each other for years.”

She exhaled through her nose, the twitch of her mouth proving that she was trying not to smile, trying to remain calm. “Shouldn’t Piper be telling me this stuff?” She finally said, collapsing in the empty booth, resigning to her fate of being trapped by her friends. She was surprised she hadn’t tried to make a run for it, really. 

Spencer smiled, shaking his head. “Considering she was on your end, any advice she might have may seem...hypocritical,” Spencer said, mulling over the last word. “And whatever your brain tells you, Hotch is definitely more nervous than you are.” Kassidy laughed despite herself.

“Hotch? Nervous?” She couldn’t even imagine a world where Aaron wasn’t calm and collected; the perfect image of a leader.

Spencer leaned over on the coffee table, “My first date with Piper, she almost knocked a glass of wine off the table. I ended up ordering something I didn’t even want to eat and then we ended up running out of the restaurant and to the diner across the road.” He smiled to himself at the memory before shaking his head a little, “The point is, it’s going to be awkward. It’s also going to be the best date you’ll ever go on,” he said, smiling warmly until he grasped his coffee and muffin. 

“So,” he turned with a wave of his hand, “remember to breathe. You got this.”

Kassidy watched him rush into the car that they’d borrowed from Derek, Piper pecking him on the cheek once he climbed into the passenger side. Moments later they were gone, leaving her alone inside this little cafe. Exhaling slowly, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the feeling of anxiety creeping into her core as she tried to compose herself. 

_ I can do this. It’s just coffee with my boss, my friend. This shouldn’t be so nerve-wracking. I’m okay. I can do this. _

The sound of bells jingling as the front door was opened had her snapping her eyes up, seeing Aaron Hotchner standing there, his expression mostly unreadable. He was staring back at her, his arm holding the door open as his eyes scanned her area. She could see the rise and fall of his chest from where she sat, as he was trying to control his breathing. Did he run to the cafe from his car?

She suddenly wondered what on earth their friends had told him to make him break traffic laws just to show up? He looked so… upset? Relieved? A little of both. A couple tried to walk past him to exit the cafe, and he finally moved out of the doorway and approached her. She could see his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, stopping just short of the table. 

She was blushing, her fingers trembling a little as she pushed her hair from her face, tucking it behind her shoulder, “Hi, Hotch.”

He looked at the empty booth, his brows furrowing in silent contemplation. After a moment a realization seemed to come over him, his eyes widening slightly. “You’re… here alone?” He posed it as a question, but she knew it was more of a statement. She pursed her lips, “Yup. I, um, haven’t ordered yet?” Somehow her voice didn’t sound strained or unstable, so that was a good first step. 

Aaron exhaled, his hands going to his hips as he looked up at the ceiling. Kassidy could hear him mumble a curse under his breath, along with Emily’s name. She couldn’t help the way she glanced at him quizzically as he looked back at her, “So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say  _ they  _ forced you here too?”

She didn’t even fight her smile, nodding, “Yeah. Piper and Spencer brought me here.” He smiled and shook his head, a breathy laugh escaping him. “Alright. Well, I guess since we’re both here, may I sit?”

“Of course,” she responded, her fingers drumming along her thighs as he sat down across from her, trying so hard to just remember to breathe-- like Spencer said. “What did they tell you?” She asked. 

He glanced at her, “Hmm?”

“Piper said you were speeding, so I’m curious what they told you. To make you speed,” she paused, pressing a finger to her chin, “you’re kind of a stickler for the rules. So breaking traffic laws outside of work makes it seem like you thought it was an emergency.”

The way his cheeks grew rosy at her question was cute, but she would never tell him that. He cleared his throat, folding his hands on the table, “Well uh, Prentiss just…” he stopped, his tongue poking out to wet his bottom lip, “You know what? I’ve never eaten here before.” He grabbed a small folded menu that sat at the edge of the table, his eyes looking it over but not retaining anything.

Kassidy giggled, “You’re avoiding the question.”

God, he could listen to her laugh all day. He tapped his fingers along the menu, “Have you been here before? Any recommendations?”

She was smiling, feeling her shoulders relax a little as they spoke.  _ Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. _ They were just getting coffee (and lunch). It was fun, easy, and definitely not that big of a deal. It wasn’t like she hadn’t spent time with him one-on-one before. Just, not in such a domestic setting. “No, but I already know what I want.”

A few minutes passed after the nice waitress took their order, making sure to quickly bring by their coffee with a side of sugars and creams. “Food’ll be out soon,” she spoke with an accent Kassidy couldn’t quite place, and she seemed to talk directly to Aaron. Kassidy noticed, but tried not to pay too much attention to it.  _ Right now wasn’t the time for her to feel like she wasn’t good enough compared to every other pretty girl she saw _ . He just smiled politely to their waitress and looked back at the beautiful blonde sitting across from him. 

“So,” he started, glancing down at his coffee, “It has taken us two months to finally get some coffee together. And it took the team literally forcing us here to make it happen.” Kassidy could see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he was gauging her reaction. Was he expecting her to be upset? 

She poured an ungodly amount of sugar into her own coffee before speaking, choosing her words carefully. When she did speak, she met his gaze with a genuine smile, “I’m glad they did. I was, um, really nervous, but I like spending time with you, Hotch,”

“Aaron,” he replied a little too quickly. Heat crawled up her neck as butterflies exploded in her stomach, making her choke on her coffee. He gave her a concerned glance as she sputtered, “Right, Aaron.” The moment his name left her lips he seemed to brighten a little, his eyes lighting up. 

“And I like spending time with you too, Kassidy,” he said her name slowly, feeling the weight of his on his tongue. It was nice. He watched as her fingers tapped along her coffee mug, how her lips moved when she spoke, how her curls bounced when she moved. He didn’t realize he had been staring at her until their food was set down in front of them, the waitress turning her body towards him as she spoke, “Here you are, handsome. Need any more coffee?”

He didn’t pay her any mind, just shaking his head, “No, we’re good.” He didn’t take his eyes off of Kassidy as she sipped from her cup, her cheeks and nose a rosy red as the steam of her coffee fanned over her face. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, biting back that urge that was once again trying to push him to kiss her. 

This had to have been the millionth time he wanted to kiss her since meeting her. But he chose to clear his throat and finally drag his eyes away from her, looking down at his food. 

Kassidy was studying him too, watching how his eyes darkened when they were talking. How his dimples would make an appearance when he smiled broadly at her. She kind of wished time would pause so she could be in this moment with him forever. 

But time had a funny way of passing by when people were enjoying themselves, as Aaron and Kassidy found a little too late as their phones both began ringing at the same time 45 minutes later, interrupting the laughter that Kassidy was trying desperately to hold back. Aaron didn’t even glance at his phone, opting to ignore it for five more minutes with her. Their tab had been paid and plates cleared, but their coffee cups still sat between them, emptied quite some time ago. 

“Am I going to get to meet this elusive Sean?” Kassidy asked after calming down her giggles, also ignoring her phone. Aaron rolled his eyes, leaning back against his seat. He looked more relaxed than she had seen him in the past two months. “Hopefully you’ll never meet him. I wouldn’t subject you to his stupidity,” he joked. She pouted, making sure to stick her lower lip out a little more than necessary, “Oh, come on, Aaron, he’s your little brother. I’m sure he’s not all bad. Especially if he’s anything like you.”

Aaron felt warmth radiating from him as he smiled at her, his eyes flickering to her lips before meeting her gaze once again, “I suppose--” Again their phones were ringing. Aaron sighed, pulling his out and answering without checking who it was (because he already knew: it was work).

“Hotchner.”

Kassidy glanced at her own, seeing Piper’s name pop up. She debated on answering, knowing that Aaron was already getting all the details of whatever it was they were being called in for. But, then again, if she didn’t answer a second time, she was sure she’d be scolded. She answered, not even getting out a ‘hello’ before Piper started talking at her,  _ “Hey Kass, sorry to ruin your date but we got a case. And it’s gonna be a long one.” _

Kassidy held back the urge to laugh, just shaking her head, “Okay Pipes. We’ll see you at the office soon.”

_ “Think you can ask Hotch to speed all the way back?” _ Piper’s tone was playful. Kassidy just hummed before replying, “Bye, Piper.” 

When she hung up, Aaron was standing beside her, holding his hand out. She took it, her whole body feeling warm as their palms touched, and he pulled her to her feet. He spoke, his voice lowered a little as his hand went to the middle of her back, steering her towards the front doors, “Guess we’re going on a long one,” he mused. She nodded, tucking some hair behind her ear, trying not to let the feeling of his hand on her get to her head. “Yup.”

He hummed, opening the door for her, “Which means we’ll be stuck in New York City for a few days at least.”

She glanced at him, puzzled at where he was going with this. He opened the passenger side door for her, leaning against its metal frame, “I know a nice restaurant near the precinct there. Usually, you need a reservation months in advance, but I’m sure Dave can pull some strings.”

Kassidy blinked in surprise, standing by the front of the car. After a beat she felt her lips curl into a smile, “Aaron Hotchner, are you asking me out to dinner?”

He looked so shy at her question, his eyes averting for just a moment before meeting hers again. His confidence seemed to come back when he noticed the blush blossoming across her face, along with the way she was smiling brightly, her eyes lighting up at his unasked request. He took her hand, guiding her into the seat of the car, “I am. If you’d like to spend an evening with me?”

She let out a breathy laugh, fighting the urge to hide her face behind her hands. “I’d love to.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! <333

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading!!
> 
> Kassidy Hughes belongs to me!  
> Piper Bishop belongs to @dralexreid.  
> You can find us both on tumblr, and continue reading about our Kassidy/Piper crossovers here on AO3!


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